Truly Exquisite Georgian Miniature on Card of a woman in a resplendent Turban

THE STORY - I have grown used to scouring the Fairs and Auctions looking for interesting and characterful miniature portraits which are painted upon card, as understandably Etsy bans the medium of ivory (which the majority are painted on) being sold on their site. This endeavour has on many occasions brought disappointment at having to reject some wonderful portraits but it has also brought me an appreciation of the positive aspects of the medium, allowing us to see a host of sitters who would of been unable to afford the more costly professional portraits painted on ivory, and indeed the medium of card was more available to the amateur painters allowing access to some wonderful naive portraits. This miniature however really stood out to me, not just for its obvious beauty but because of the fineness and quality of the painting and the fact that I believe the medium of card helps to enhance that beauty. The miniature would I believe date to circa 1790. The woman painted in profile is dressed in white with a truly amazing turban complete with pom-poms and a fichu or small triangular scarf secured tightly around her neck again with pom-poms. Her face is finely and beautifully painted with peachy pink skin tones and the use of blue for the shadow of her eye, the detail of her costume drawn expertly in pencil. And for me one of the most important aspects that gives this portrait so much power is the use of the blank space which I do not think could have been achieved on ivory. The portrait is neither signed or dated, so I can not say for certain that it was painted by a professional hand but the quality of the portrait convinces me that it was, possibly it was a preparatory sketch for a larger portrait. I have not taken the portrait out of the oval brass frame, which I believe is a later one to see if there is any verso on the back.

AGE - Circa 1790

CONDITION - The portrait is in very good condition the colours of the painting of her face are still strong and vibrant and there is no foxing to the card that I can see. The frame too is in good condition, from my photos I thought there was a small scratch to the slightly convex glass, but I confess I can not see it when I look at it now, so I think annoyingly it was a hair.

DIMENSIONS (Approx) - Height 3" / 7.5cm, Width 2&3/8" / 6cm< Depth 1/4" / 0.5

So there is my lady in white on card, certainly not naive and quite frankly if she could afford such a sophisticated white outfit and the cleaning and upkeep of it, she certainly was a woman of some wealth. The quality of the painting is so fine, at least for me equal if not above many that you find on ivory, but the use of the medium of card allowing that blank space powerfully forces me to focus on the woman's beautifully painted face, lifting her beautifully off the background.