Matronly

This delicately painted portrait shows a matronly lady wearing a soft dormeuse cap with ribbons and her nape and a generous crown to accommodate her tall hair-do. She also has a buffon fill-in to her dress with a ruff collar. Although unsigned, the piece is undoubtedly by the master silhouettest John Miers. It is set in a gold octagonal slide frame intended to be strung with pearls or attached to a plaited hair band and worn, possibly by her daughter, as a bracelet. It has since been adapted to wear as a brooch.

John Miers advertised his ability to reduce profiles to a small size ‘for Rings, Breast Pins, Bracelets &c., also for Watch Papers … the likeness perfectly preserved’. His skill at capturing costume details without the use of gold highlights lent itself to these small profile pieces often commissioned as mourning jewels.

This silhouette jewel was purchased by Mrs Christie in July 1948 for £12 10s from W. J. (Polly) Perkins. (Item 10 showing on the original receipt – receipt not included with the sale.) Perkins had been a money lender in the City. He lived in a tiny house near Old Street Station and travelled all over England to attend auction sales in the hope of finding silhouettes to sell on to collectors. He only added on a modest amount on top to cover his train fare and his daily booze! Perkins hit hard times in later life and during his seventies resorted to finding a job as a night watchman.