An Unspotted Life

But wisdom is the gray hair unto men, and an unspotted life is old age – Wisdom of Solomon 4:9

By choosing this Biblical verse to be inscribed around the verre églomisé mount on this silhouette suggests that the sitter may have died young having led an exemplary life. The profile itself may have been painted from memory or a copy of an earlier profile may have been painted post-mortem with the inscription added to honour the sitter.

The silhouette shows a young gentleman in a bound pigtail wig wearing a frilled chemise and buttoned-up coat. Sadly his name has been lost to history.

Painted on plaster, the silhouette resides in the original papier-mâché frame with an inner pearwood border and is backed with the artist’s complete trade label no. 11 in use from 1791. Apart from a little light dust (exaggerated by the camera) both silhouette and frame are in fine condition.