Primly Seated

Working from about 1784 through to 1792, William Phelps was not a prolific silhouette artist. He was though experimental, not confining himself to any single style of profile. He offered works on card and glass though extant examples of his art are on his preferred base of plaster. He did not use a signature bust-line termination nor did he restrict himself to painting in black only. Indeed his coloured profiles are amongst his most striking works; these are sometimes painted directly on the plaster base or sometimes cut from buff paper that is then painted and affixed to the plaster base. He also experimented with the addition of gold leaf buttons on coats.

Dating to the mid-1780s, this fascinating example of his work is painted on plaster in black and shades of grey achieved using thinned pigment. The mature sitter wears a stylish dress with a braided bodice, van dyke neckline and narrow cuffed sleeves with a much puffed-out buffon, her hair in frizzy curls with a long curl trailing down her back.

The silhouette resides under old flat glass in a turned fruitwood frame. There are scattered spots of paint loss to the lady’s dress and the glass has a diagonal scratch on the left edge (mentioned to reassure that this is not a crack to the plaster) but overall it is in very good original condition and represents a rare find.