Frill Pin

This tiny silhouette pin would have been worn by the young lady’s sweetheart on his shirt frill as was the fashion. Painted around 1805, the sitter is shown wearing a short-waisted dress with a frilled neckline, her hair fashionably cropped with curls framing her face.

Painted on ivory the silhouette is set in the original gold brooch frame. Inevitably there is some light dust under the glass.

Although signed Miers, the profile was actually painted and skillfully gilded by John Field (1772-1848) who worked alongside John Miers in his London studio. Field was taken on by Miers during the early 1790s to keep up with the growing demand for profiles. They then continued to work together for decades, Miers specialising in plain black work and Field becoming a master bronzer. Indeed their partnership only ended with the death of John Miers in 1821; Field though did not hang up his paintbrushes until his own death in 1848.

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