Exceptional Miniature Portrait by Marguerite Gerard Start Price USD 5,500.00 Current Price USD 5,500.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Sunday, July 20, 2008 End Time Wednesday, July 30, 2008 Location Ventura, California See more about 'Exceptional Miniature Portrait by Marguerite Gerard' Description Exceptional miniature portrait painting on ivory by Marguerite Gerard from the first quarter of the 19th Century.Here we have an exceptional piece of original hand-painted artwork by the great miniaturist Marguerite Gerard  (1761-1837). This piece will not last long, and I am very happy to be able to offer it to the proper person.   The portrait is painted on ivory with a gouche medium (and I think oil overlay "glazes" over the underpainting-I am not sure about this--the "effect" looks like oil paint.) and framed against a turtleshell back with beveled glass on the front in a small hand-done oval metal (it looks like worn gold electrolyte over silver or some other kind of metal) frame with cut-glass jewels.  There is no date on the piece, but it is signed on the side, as you can see. I think the piece dates from the first part of the 19th century. When first looked on, this portrait of this beautiful lady seems to be a photograph. My enlargements will reveal the tiny thousands of brush-strokes in the following mini-masterpiece. I believe it to be a miniature painting of Madame Recamier, probably around 1805-1810. In other portraits there were usually some kind of sharp object in the hair (ivory hair pin, etc.), and the facial structure and shoulder structure looks similar to other paintings viewed. It is certainly a world-class art specimen.The piece is in excellent condition. It measures 3-1/4" x 4" frame size and 2-1/2" x 3-1/4" oval image size. It is approximately 3/16" in thickness. Thank you for looking at this. Some of the images are large and it may take a while for them to download, but well worth the wait. I can appreciate this kind of fine miniature work, as I am a miniature engraver and etcher myself. Miniature portrait painting does not get any better than this. This little portrait shown will hold its own against any Renaissance master, including daVinci, Raphael, Albrecht Durer and others in my opinion (I have seen a daVinci oil original up close and memorized the linework. Don't comment, please. This is my opinion only. Look at my miniature work at the link below, look at this painting. Judge for yourself.)You can go to JohnAnthonyMiller.com to see my work if you have time. Thanks again, John Anthony Miller, D.Met._____________________________________________________________________________________________ Here is the actual size, as best as I could get it to show (it depends on your monitor). At first, it looks like a photograph. Upon further examination, much more is revealed...:    Actual Size   In Hand...   A bit more enlarged...   Still further enlarged. You can start to see the brush-stroke lines now, the signature is above the left should of the portrait sitter...   Enlarged further...some of the white specks are dust particles. I did not "retouch anything" on this painting.   Further enlarged, showing even more detail. Amazing. Super enlargement, showing the masterful illusion created when viewed at actual size. Note the line work above and around the eyes. Each dot of paint, each super-fine line is put exactly in the proper place to creat the photographic miniature.  Only an exceptional piece, like this one, can be created like this, from a true master. Marguerite Gerard signature greatly enlarged. Extreme enlargement of part of the face. At the right is the portrait, at actual size. Amazing.   Below is the reverse of the piece with the tortoise-shell back: The Reverse of the painting, showing the tortoise shell back. Note how it is held in, the curls of metal acting as "retention pins." Powered by ProStores Place a Bid!