An older painting on metal (copper?)

I assume this is on copper though haven't taken the back off. Being painted on copper made it hard to take pics of, because it is so flat that it reflects the outdoor light; it looks much less cartoonish and washed out in real life. It looks like it has original nails and has never been taken apart. To me the back says mid 19th century to end of century. Hopefully the uniform has some clues. Obviously has sustained major damage, but couldn't see it going into a trash heap since the artist clearly had some skill. (The weird mark on his cheek is some fungus that I didn't try to remove - gross yes?). In the pics it looks much smaller than it is in real life, I assume because the frame is so large. Overall the frame is 23x19 inches, and the painting itself is about 14x11 inches. (I really like the frame but don't think it is worth repairing, though gold leafing over the missing areas may be an acceptable compromise). Maybe not worth putting any time into?

 

????

 

Great description Jeff, but pics would help.

 

Ringworm?

 

Anti-fungal cream should do the trick. Test it on another part of the body first, to see if you don't get an allregic reaction.

 

Jeff, you did it! And a very handsome fellow he is.
Someone will recognize the uniform and medal. The ringworm looks like something that developed on the copper under the paint.

 

What makes you think it is on copper & not some other kind of metal? Oxidized copper is blue-green. I see not the tiniest trace anywhere here.

The painting seems a weird mix of skillful & not. The amount of blank space above the head seems disproportionate. Hope an assortment of people will take a look, including the furniture & millitaria folks. Probably a clue in the medal, which is a star with a profile head, possibly a woman? Or so it looks to me.

 

Think there's another outcropping at the base of the throat. Or is that a collar button? Looks like he's wearing one of those detachable collars.

 

Possibly restored at some stage? The hair doesn't seem to be painted by the same painter as the rest, and some areas around the head look odd as well. The original painter was accomplished, the restorer not so much.

A brooch I think.

 

Sorry I was a little slow with the pics (tough crowd, huh ), I usually need to edit my new posts a few times before they make sense to anyone but me (and sometimes not even that). I'm assuming copper only because that is the only metal that I knew was being painted on, but could certainly be something else.

Sometimes (like this), I think I have good pics but then when I start to post them I realize how crap they are. I'll give it another shot in hopefully better light. And I guess I need to pull the back off in the small chance there is something written there, which should also clarify what its painted on.

The collar button is actual paint, not fungus, though it does bear a striking resemblance. I'll take a close up tomorrow. Thanks!

 

On top of every post.

Paintings were also done on tin, iron and probably other metals too.

 

Guessing tin is more consistent with how dark it has become. And agree it looks like it has some clumsy restoration.

 

Maybe the latest fashion in Heidelberg duelling scars?

The mustache & beard remind me of Napoleon III, so maybe from that time period:

 

That was the period I had in mind as well.

 

Thass a lot of buttons for just one coat.

You'd think that would make it easier to find, but ...

 

Pretty standard for officers' uniforms of the day, I think, If that strap across his chest was part of his standard get up, can see the button right above it getting popped off regularly. It intrigues me that he is wearing only a single award, but that one looks pretty fancy, maybe Order of _____.

 

OK, this is the best I could do, starting with taking it out of the frame. At first I thought it was a real mess - that globby stuff on the back is wax, that must have been put in to keep it from bouncing against the wood back. The inside wood is suitably light in color compared to the back, so I still think mid to late 19th century (post civil war?)

First it is on steel (and not copper) with a base coat of black on both front and back - as shown by the rust where the paint has flaked off on the back. Good thing there is a base coat of black paint, because that is what shows on the front where the red is flaking off. The bright red of the uniform is failing, but luckily the other colors are holding pretty well. Its definitely painted not printed; I could feel the texture while cleaning.

I took care of his fungus problem, and did the best I could to clean it. I'm still not happy with the pictures I took - I couldn't eliminate the glare from the flat reflective surface, maybe artificial light would be better? Thanks for the wheels which are turning ...

 

Cheek looks much better. I think the painting is more or less contemporary with the gentleman.

You mean the one in America? Funny, I look at British & European stuff so much, it didn't occur to me that he could be American, even if the painting turned up in the US.

Doubt the photos could be improved to the point of telling us anything we can't glean from these, but would like a closeup of the medal.

 

Pictures or it didn't happen.

I can't find this button arrangement.

 

I meant only the number of them, not the arrangement. I wouldn't have the patience to roam the vast world of military uniforms to go looking for this one. If the medal has more detail than we have been able to see, that's where I would start. AJ & I have already posted what we deduce from the facial hair.