Featured Portrait Minature

I don’t know very much about this portrait miniature done on vellum other than it came from my grandfather through his business and the obvious things visible in these photographs.

 

Same frames on these miniatures ...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266542540959
https://www.blackrockgalleries.com/...oinette-hand-painted-on-celluloid-230181.html

 

Hard to tell, but the shadowing has the appearance of being printed. Maybe it was enhanced with painted elements?

More striking than others seen while searching. I like it.

 

I think taking a phone picture then reducing the size has flattened and softened the image, but out of curiosity when was color printing of this type available? This was collected prior to 1950 it is on vellum could this have even been printed other than some stone type of lithography?

 

I pulled it apart and the vellum if I am accurate calling it that is fine grained hard material, stiff, slightly translucent I would almost guess ivory except I’d expect ivory to be more opaque. Looking at the backside the color appears layered as you would building up color with layers by painting although I suppose certain types of printing are also layered?

so I don’t know, I never thought printed and enhanced but these things were mass produced at some point in time while in favor I have to imagine… perhaps then a department store Victorian knockoff?
Front side

back side

 

Found this,


When did color printing become common?


The introduction of offset lithography in the 1940s brought color printing into the mainstream. Process color combined cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks to create a spectrum of color using only 4 printing plates. The CMYK process is still around and offset printing is a great solution for long print runs.

so, I guess it could be printed and enhanced?

 

It's decorative, not fine art, and like the others may be a reproduction of a known (at one time) work. Perhaps the surface is celluloid?

Debora

 

I’m inclined to believe this is a reproduction of some other work mass produced for the average consumer the similarities in the frames is compelling.

Somewhat confusing for me I do recall taking a number of items to an Antiques road show sometime around 2005 this was in the mix, nothing was remarkable but as I recall the miniature passed inspection? It may simply be as the masses flow through the arena by the thousands parading our treasures it could be a bit numbing and not everything gets closely inspected?

 

The writing on the label on the back of the frame, and the ink used, appear to date from earlier than the 20th century. That's all I've got.

 

Perhaps written by an older hand which IMHO can't be used as a trie indication of the piece's age.

Debora

 

No, it can't. But it adds to the mix.

 

The new photo looks less like it was printed.

Here's the original painting ...
https://www.artnet.com/artists/charles-joshua-chaplin/the-artists-muse-0J3nn_2_zfR_6JU4Fa_qBg2

 

BINGO! No denying it now it is clearly an enhanced print, geez wish I could send you a cigar on that one hitting a ringer, hole in one… bulls eye in the antique world.

 

Ah, there she is! Not a painting (or an artist) I was familiar with.

Debora

 

This could have been from a study painted by a contract artist for commercial reproduction, or perhaps a student study reframed into an available frame but to different to be a direct copy.

 

I'd think it was a decorative copy like the others. These little miniatures were produced for commercial purposes.

Debora