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Item Ref. 3948

ROYAL VICTORIA GALLERY, after 1837 - circa 1854

This is a large and finely executed profile of a gentleman seated on a library chair, spectacles in one hand, book in the other, with his feet resting on an ottoman. The gentleman is named on the back as George Arbuthnot and he depicted wearing a double-breasted tail-coat, buttoned waistcoat, chemise and black knotted stock. The chair is so well detailed with its splayed legs and scrolled arms and every fold and crease in the gentleman's clothing has been captured.

Born in 1777, George Arbuthnot of Invernettie and Arbuthnot House, Peterhead was the second son of James Arbuthnot of Dens and Catherine Cumine. He was a cotton manufacturer and merchant in Glasgow and the first Provost of Peterhead. He bought the Invernettie estate and in 1816 married Mary, the daughter of John Hutchison of Cairngall. He died 4 June 1847.

The silhouette has been cut out and appears to have been cut as a single piece without joins. It is expertly painted and gilded to highlight all the costume and hair details. The sepia watercolour base suggests a patterned carpet and is typical of the Gallery's work.

The silhouette is signed and dated 'Frith 1843' and is most likely to be by Henry Albert Frith. It is set in a deep cushioned rosewood frame with a gilt slip. The frame has been re-backed using conservation materials retaining the original inscription with the sitter's details.

Framed size: 17¼ x 155/8" (438 x 398mm)

S O L D !

The Royal Victoria Gallery was run by three members of the Frith family: brothers, Henry Albert & Frederick and their father, John. The Gallery advertised themselves as 'PAPRYOTOMISTS to His Late as well as to her present Most Gracious Majesty'. They toured Ireland and England during the 1830s and 40s producing highly finished work.

Royal Victoria Gallery, fine cut and gilded silhouette of a named gentleman

Royal Victoria Gallery, fine cut and gilded silhouette of a named gentleman

Painted silhouette of a young girl painted by Monsieur Edgar Adolphe

Painted silhouette of a young girl painted by Monsieur Edgar Adolphe

Item Ref. 4319

MONSIEUR EDGAR ADOLPHE, circa 1840

This is a charming bust-length silhouette of a young girl wearing a wide-shouldered dress with a frilled neckline. Her hair has been parted in the middle and drawn into narrow plaits that have been tied with ribbon and looped in front of her ears.

The profile is painted on card using a bluish-grey body colour with gum arabic and touches of Chinese white to bring out the details in the hair and dress. It is signed 'Adolphe' in the shadow-line and is backed with the artist's trade label no. 3 that leads with a poem. This label was in use around 1838-1844.

The silhouette is housed in a square ebonised frame with a gilt slip. The frame is also glazed on the reverse to reveal the trade label. Fine condition.

Framed size: 6½ x 6" (166 x 153mm)
Provenance: D. S. Patton collection
Literature: See British Silhouette Artists and their Work 1760-1860 - page 463, plate 648

Price: £240

French-born, 'Monsieur' Edgar Adolphe (fl. circa 1832-1846) advertised himself as 'Miniature Painter, and Profilist, to Louis Philippe, King of France'. He appears to have moved to England during the early 1830s settling eventually to work in Brighton. He charged 3/6- for a bust-length profile and 5s for a maple frame.

Adolphe's trade label number 3

Item Ref. 4123

J. NEWTON, circa 1820

This silhouette of a gentleman has been painted by a rarely found Irish artist. The style of the gentleman's tail-coat with its high rolled collar and well-padded shoulders along with the standing shirt collar dates the profile to the 1820s. The detail of his coat has been heightened using gum arabic and his hair has been highlighted with gold.

The silhouette is backed with an unrecorded trade label for the artist giving his address as 95 Grafton Street (corner of Exchequer Street) in Dublin. It seems highly probable that this is the same John Newton listed in Foskett's Miniatures Dictionary and Guide as working at nearby 82 Dame Street in 1824.

The silhouette is housed in a larger than average papier-mâché frame with a deep metal surround and an emblems (rose, thistle and shamrock) hanger.

Framed Size: 6¾ x 61/8" (172 x 157mm)

Price: £240

J. Newton, painted silhouette of a gentleman

J. Newton, unrecorded trade label

Coloured silhouette of a girl with a basket of flowers

Item Ref. 4346

BRITISH SCHOOL, circa 1845

This is a lovely colourful silhouette portrait of a young girl holding a basket of flowers. She is wearing a calf-length dress with drawers and slipperettes. Pinched waists were the fashion for girls as well as for their mothers during this period and only the length of the dress varied according to age. Plaid materials such as seen here became fashionable during the 1840s. The girl's hair has been drawn back into a long single plait and decorated with pink ribbon bows.

The silhouette has been cut out and painted in watercolour with a touch of gilding for her hair. It is housed in dark wood frame with a hand-painted inner border. The bottom half of the background card has scattered light spotting and there is some discoloration to the girl's drawers which would originally have been white in colour. None of this takes away though from the overall attractiveness of the piece.

Framed size: 105/8 x 9" (270 x 230mm)

Price: £300

Item Ref. 4171

ENGLISH SCHOOL, circa 1830

This is an attractive half-length silhouette profile of a young girl wearing a dress with a frilled neckline and widely puffed sleeves. Her hair is prettily arranged in long curls around her face.

The silhouette has been cut and expertly gilded to highlight the detail of her dress and the individual curls in her hair. As to be expected, there is some light age-browning to the background card but this is not intrusive. The profile is housed in the original period giltwood frame. The frame is scratched and has a few old edge chips.

Framed Size: 7¾ x 6¾" (200 x 170mm)

Price: £200

Cut and gilded silhouette of a young girl
Early 19th century cut and gilded silhouette of a gentleman

Item Ref. 4248

ENGLISH SCHOOL, early 19th century

I can imagine that the silhouette artist's eyes must have lit up when this gentleman asked him to cut his likeness for his prominent chin guaranteed a distinctive profile with strong character. The gentleman is wearing a dark waistcoat and a frilled chemise with a deep white stock. The style of his double-breasted tail-coat dates the portrait to the 1830s.

The profile has been cut and well gilded with watercolour finishing for the shirt and stock which are not part of the cut-work. It is presented in an ebonised reeded frame with decorative gilt metal rosettes on each corner.

Framed size: 4½ x 35/8" (115 x 90mm)

Price: £110

Item Ref. 4253

ENGLISH SCHOOL, circa 1830

This silhouette depicts a young lady wearing a dress with fashionably wide sleeves and a beaded necklace. Her hair is drawn up in an Apollo knot secured by a large comb with ringlets framing her face. This hairstyle reflected the current fashion for Greek inspired hair and dress ornaments and was sometimes created using false hair.

The profile is painted on card and finely gilded. It is housed in a traditional papier-mâché frame with convex glass and an acorn hanger.

Framed Size: 5¾ x 5" (146 x 130mm)

Price: £160

Painted and gilded silhouette of a lady

Painted silhouette of a named lady

Silhouette painted by Humphrey Collins

Item Ref. 4262

HUMPHREY COLLINS, 1820

This is an attractive silhouette of a lady wearing an empire-line dress and with her hair swept up in a knot secured with a comb and ribbons. An inscription on the reverse dates the portrait to 16th March 1820 and names the lady as Miss Maude of Stockton on Tees.

Jane Maude was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in December 1803 to Thomas Maude, a banker, and his wife Jane Roxby. She married Edward Carus Wilson of Kirkby-Lonsdale in 1824 at Knaresborough.

Although listed as a miniature painter, little is known about the artist Humphrey collins. His unrecorded trade label on the reverse of the frame describes him as an 'Historical, Portrait Engraver and Miniature Painter'.

The profile is painted on card with touches of gum arabic highlighting the details of her dress and hair. It is housed in the original papier-mâché frame with an emblems (rose, thistle, shamrock) hanger.

Framed size: 6½ x 5½" (167 x 140mm)

S O L D !

 

Item Ref. 4162

IRISH SCHOOL, 1823

This is a coloured profile portrait of a young officer wearing a red coat with dark blue facings, brass buttons and a gold epaulette. The portrait is inscribed on the reverse 'Dublin, March 1823'.

Watercolour on card set in an ornate giltwood frame. The backing board has an interesting trade label for Alexander Childs, carpenter and looking-glass manufacturer based at 32 Arran-Quay Dublin. There is some light age-browning to the background but otherwise the piece is in fine condition.

Framed size: 7 x 6½" (180 x 165mm)

Price: £280

Irish School, watercolour profile of an officer dated 1823

John Miers, silhouette on ivory

Item Ref. 4240

JOHN MIERS, 1758-1821

This is an eighteenth century silhouette of a gentleman wearing a 'physical' wig, a style of wig much favoured by the professional and learned gentlemen of the day and which dates the profile to around 1770.

The silhouette is painted on ivory and is signed Miers under the bust-line. It is set in the original ebonised frame.

Framed size: 4¾ x 4¼" (120 x 105mm)

Price: £400

Although he never trained professionally, John Miers is considered to be the finest of the 18th century silhouettists. His career began in Leeds when he took over his father's business as a coach-painter & gilder. Having recently married, Miers was keen to expand the business and, in addition to preparing and selling paints, he advertised profile shades in miniature for 2s. 6d. each. He clearly excelled at this from the start as within a few years this had become his main line of business and prompted Miers to move his family first to Edinburgh and eventually to London where he ran a busy and successful studio at the Strand.

Item Ref. 3633

AUGUSTIN EDOUART, 1789-1861

This is a fine example of the skilled workmanship of the celebrated silhouettist Augustin Edouart depicting a gentleman wearing an academic gown over a tail-coat. He appears to be holding a pair of gloves in his clasped hands. As before, the profile is exceptionally well cut - note especially the eyebrow in addition to the eyelash as well as the collar line and the single buttonhole. The profile is inscribed in pencil on the reverse with the sitter's name - Frederick Thackeray MD, Cambridge.

Frederick Thackeray was the son of Thomas Thackeray, one of the original surgeons to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge in 1766. Frederick succeeded his father as a surgeon in 1796 and later qualified as a physician, transferring from the surgical staff to the medical staff in 1827. He was the brother of William Makepeace Thackeray, author of the much-loved classic novel Vanity Fair.

The silhouette is signed: 'Augn Edouart fecit 1828' and is set in what appears to be the original handsome bird's eye maple veneer frame with gilt slip. The silhouette is in excellent condition though the frame has two old wormholes on the front.

Framed size: 14 x 101/8" (186 x 148mm)

Price: £550

As an ex-Bonapartist claiming asylum in Britain, Augustin Edouart discovered by chance, when he was challenged by a friend at a dinner-party, that he had a natural aptitude for cutting likenesses, so much so that he made a successful career of it. He toured extensively throughout the British Isles for several years cutting many hundreds of profiles including some well-known figures of the day including authors, musicians, politicians and royalty. He then set sail for New York where he was likewise in demand and where he toured successfully for ten years before deciding to retire to his native home in 1849. He nearly didn't make it as his ship went down in a storm off Guernsey. Fortunately the passengers were all rescued but Edouart lost much of his precious archive of work and the will to continue with his work thereafter.

Augustin Edouart, signed silhouette of a named gentleman

Augustin Edouart signature
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Cynthia McKinley
Wigs on the Green Fine Art, York
Tel. +44 (0)1904 794711             Mobile: 07962 257915
Email: enquiries@wigsonthegreen.co.uk