Bulbous-Nosed

Reverse painted on convex glass, this characterful silhouette shows a balding gentleman with a large nose wearing an overcoat with deep revers and puffed sleeves. His chin rests on the standing collar of his shirt.

Dating to around 1820, the profile is painted in deep black with gum arabic used to highlight the details of his coat and needle scratching used to show the thinning strands of his hair and side whiskers. It is backed with card though it may originally have been backed with wax or a plaster base. In fine condition, the silhouette is housed in a traditional papier-mâché frame with an acorn hanger.

Born in 1800, James Pelham was the son of a miniature painter so grew up surrounded by paint and brushes. It seems likely that he painted profiles and miniatures early in his career before moving on to working on a larger scale in oils and watercolour.