Sweet Dreams

Working at the tail end of the eighteenth century, Samuel Shelley was a resourceful and innovative artist in a variety of mediums. On occasion, as evidenced by this miniature, he turned his ivory base sideways to create an unconventionally shaped and thus more impactful portrait.

Sensitively painted, the subject is a young lady reclining with a half-smile on billowing clouds of white muslin. The piece has an air of intimacy that suggests she may have been a personal friend of the artist’s.

In fine condition, the portrait is set in a quality frame, the reverse glazed to show neatly plaited blonde hair.

Initially self-taught, Shelley entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1774. He was a prolific artist and exhibited regularly between 1774 and 1804. An influential figure in the art world, he was instrumental in the formation of The Society of Painters in Water Colours in 1805. His death, just three years later, came after a short illness and was announced in the London papers without any fanfare.