Coming of Age

This piece is a crossover between a cut silhouette and a miniature portrait. The young lady’s painted profile has been cut out and laid on a dark watercolour backdrop. With her hair upswept and secured with a tortoiseshell comb, her face is framed with small natural curls. She wears a pale green short-waisted dress with pretty braiding on the bodice, the neckline and short sleeves trimmed with stiff lace. Her final touch is a coral beaded necklace.

Watercolour on card with gum arabic highlights and dated April 1824 on the reverse, the portrait is presented in a traditional papier-mâché frame with convex glass and an acorn hanger. The portrait has a small area of water damage on the girl’s arm though this is not really visible against her flesh tones. The frame has an attractive craquelure pattern to it.