Marble Painting

This curious portrait painted in watercolour on a slab of marble shows a young child seated on a miniature-sized armchair by a window. Wearing a white dress with a ribbon sash and pantaloons, the child has a coral necklace to protect against any evil spirits and little pink shoes, one of which has been kicked off. The portrait is set in a decorative giltwood frame.

Thomas Heathfield Carrick (1802-1874) pioneered the use of marble as an alternative to ivory in miniature painting. Self-taught as an artist, Carrick also trained as a chemist. He exhibited from 1827 but it wasn’t until 1836 that painting became his sole career. He counted many eminent figures amongst his sitters including politicians and poets but the rise of photography forced him into retirement during the 1860s.