A rare, refined and exceptionally high-quality English portrait miniature from the Georgian period, dated to 1787 according to the original description, depicting a young lady identified as Miss Burns. The work displays a stylistic affinity with the tradition of miniature painting associated with Richard Cosway (1742–1821), one of the greatest English miniature painters of the late eighteenth century, particularly in the airy treatment of the powdered hair, the pearly skin tones, the soft shading and the bluish-green colouring of the background. The lady is depicted wearing a white dress with a wide neckline, decorated with delicate lace and a blue ribbon at the breast, while her hair is arranged in an elaborate hairstyle of light-coloured, powdered curls. The miniature was executed in watercolours on a natural substrate and is set in an oval gold pendant frame, with smooth edges and an upper suspension fitting of open geometric design. On the reverse of the pendant is a particularly rich and complex mourning and memorial composition, combining a painting in sepia tones, a winged angel, a landscape with trees, a memorial monument and a funerary urn, together with goldsmith's work, gold threads, pearls and hairwork. At the centre of the memorial scene appears the inscription: **“NOT LOST BUT GONE BEFORE”** The inscription expresses the Christian belief that the deceased person has not been lost, but has preceded their loved ones on the journey to the next world. The miniature comes from a sale at Bonhams London in 2008 The combination of a female portrait displaying a stylistic affinity with the tradition of Richard Cosway, a gold pendant frame and a three-dimensional mourning scene incorporating precious materials gives the piece particular artistic, historical, jewellery and collectible significance. Description of the Portrait The young lady is depicted half-length, with her shoulders turned slightly to one side and her face directed towards the viewer, her gaze slightly averted. Her face has a refined oval shape, fair skin in pearly tones, relatively dark greyish-brown eyes, thin, carefully shaped eyebrows and a calm, pleasant and restrained expression. Her nose is straight and delicate, her lips small and softly formed in a pinkish shade, and her cheeks are illuminated by warm, delicate tones. Her gaze gives the figure a personal and intimate presence, while the suggestion of a smile creates a sense of softness and elegance. The treatment of the facial features is characterised by soft shading, gradual colour transitions and meticulous depiction of the eyes, nose and lips. The portrait presents the lady as having a refined and aristocratic appearance, in keeping with the tradition of female portrait painting in England in the late eighteenth century. The Powdered Hairstyle The lady's hair is very light in colour, in shades of creamy white, pearly grey and pale blonde. The hair is arranged in an elaborate and voluminous hairstyle, composed of dense, soft curls around the head. Rounded curls are visible at the top of the head, while at the sides of the face groups of curled locks fall down, framing the temples and cheeks. At the back of the head, locks of hair can be seen falling towards the nape and shoulders. The hairstyle reflects characteristics of English women's fashion in the second half of the eighteenth century, when high hairstyles, carefully arranged curls and the use of hair powder were customary. The use of powder gave the hair a relatively uniform light colour and was common among women of the affluent classes. The soft and airy treatment of the curls recalls the miniature painting tradition of Richard Cosway, in which hair is sometimes depicted through thin layers of colour and delicate transitions between light shades. The White Dress and Details of Clothing The lady wears an elegant dress in soft shades of white, cream and pearly grey. The dress has a relatively wide neckline, decorated with light-coloured fabric and delicate folds of lace. At the breast is a small blue ornament, described in the original account as a ribbon. The fabric is depicted through thin brushstrokes and soft shading, emphasising its folds and delicate texture. Around the shoulders are broad folds of fabric and soft lace, giving the dress a rich and light appearance. The light colouring of the clothing blends with the tones of the powdered hair, creating a harmonious and refined composition. The clothing reflects English women's fashion in the late eighteenth century, when light fabrics, lace, ribbons and delicate ornaments were incorporated into formal and social dresses. The Background and Artistic Composition The background is rendered in soft shades of bluish-green, bluish-grey and muted green. Around the lady's head is a gentle illumination, highlighting the light-coloured hair and facial features. In the lower part of the background, darker shades appear, gradually blending into the colouring of the dress. The painting is characterised by soft colour transitions, delicate shading and meticulous treatment of the details of the face and hair. The oval composition focuses attention on the lady's face and gives the portrait an intimate and personal character. The contrast between the light-coloured hair and dress and the bluish-green background creates a delicate chromatic balance, recalling certain characteristics of English portrait miniatures from the late eighteenth century. The Artist and Stylistic Context – Richard Cosway (1742–1821) Richard Cosway was one of the most important and highly regarded miniature painters in England in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. He was born in 1742 and died in 1821, and worked mainly in London, where he achieved success among members of the aristocracy, high society and royal court circles. Cosway was particularly known for his miniature portraits of women, characterised by refined treatment of facial features, light skin tones, airy hair and soft colouring. His paintings were often based on thin, transparent layers of watercolour, which enabled him to create exceptionally delicate tonal transitions. He frequently depicted female figures with elaborate hairstyles, light-coloured dresses and soft facial expressions, sometimes against backgrounds in shades of blue or grey. His portraits reveal a tendency to emphasise light and transparency, creating a sense of lightness and intimacy. Cosway was associated with high-society circles in England, and his works were considered desirable even during his lifetime. He was elected a full member of the Royal Academy in 1771 and was among the artists most closely identified with English miniature painting during the Georgian period. His works are now held in important museum collections, including the Royal Collection, the Victoria and Albert Museum and other institutions. The Stylistic Affinity Between the Miniature of Miss Burns and the Works of Richard Cosway The present miniature displays several characteristics reminiscent of the artistic language of Richard Cosway. First, the treatment of the powdered hair is characterised by softness and airiness, with the light-coloured curls gradually blending into the background through delicate brushstrokes. Second, the pearly skin tones and soft shading around the eyes, nose and cheeks create a refined appearance, recalling the manner in which Cosway depicted female figures. Third, the white dress is not depicted through sharply defined outlines, but through soft layers of colour that create a sense of transparency and lightness. Fourth, the bluish-green background gives the figure a sense of depth and emphasises the light tones of the skin and hair. These characteristics recall, stylistically, female portraits by Cosway from the 1780s. The Gold Pendant Frame The miniature is set in an oval pendant frame made of gold, with relatively broad and smooth edges. The gold has a warm tone, tending slightly towards pink. At the top is a suspension fitting made of gold, of open geometric design, composed of several vertical metal strips. The suspension fitting allows the miniature to be worn as a pendant on a chain or ribbon. The front of the miniature is protected by a transparent cover. The frame is characterised by a relatively restrained design, allowing the painting and the memorial scene on the reverse to remain the principal focus of attention. The gold frame constitutes an important part of the piece, both in terms of its material and jewellery value and its historical character as a personal portrait jewel. The Reverse of the Pendant – An Allegorical Mourning and Memorial Scene in Gold and Pearls The reverse of the pendant presents a particularly complex mourning composition, combining a painting in sepia tones with goldsmith's work, seed pearls, gold threads and hairwork. The scene takes place in a natural landscape, in which dark trees, branches and vegetation appear against a background of pale skies. In the upper left section of the painting appears the figure of a winged angel hovering above the landscape. At the centre of the composition stands an architectural memorial monument, decorated with gold elements and rows of pearls. Above the monument appears a funerary urn or decorative memorial vessel, incorporating goldwork and pearls. Fine gold threads create lines, arches and ornaments that complement the architectural structure. The combination of the flat painting and the projecting jewellery elements creates a composition with a three-dimensional character. The work demonstrates a high level of skill in combining miniature painting, goldsmithing and jewellery making. The Winged Angel and Its Symbolic Meaning The figure of the angel appears in the upper left section of the reverse of the pendant, above the landscape and the monument. The angel is depicted as a young figure with large wings, dark hair and light-coloured clothing. The wings are spread to the sides, and the figure appears to hover above a cloud or an illuminated area. One of the angel's hands is raised upwards, in a gesture that gives the composition a sense of movement and direction. In European memorial art of the eighteenth century, angels sometimes served as symbols of hope, consolation, belief in eternal life and the passage from the earthly world to the heavenly world. The angel in the miniature may be interpreted as a figure accompanying the soul of the deceased or as a messenger of hope and consolation. Its presence gives the scene a religious and allegorical dimension beyond the architectural depiction of the monument. The Memorial Monument and Funerary Urn – Goldsmith's Work At the centre of the mourning scene appears a memorial monument of architectural design. The monument consists of a broad base, a central body and a light-coloured inscription panel. Along its horizontal sections are decorative gold components, adorned with rows of tiny pearls. At the top is a decorative funerary urn, resting on a base and adorned with pearls and gold threads. The gilded elements create a jewellery-like framework around the painting and give the scene a sense of depth. Funerary urns were a common motif in Neoclassical mourning art of the late eighteenth century. They served as symbols of remembrance, loss and spiritual continuity, even when they did not refer to an actual burial. In the present miniature, the urn and monument are incorporated into a rich composition that emphasises the emotional and material importance of the object. The Inscription – NOT LOST BUT GONE BEFORE At the centre of the monument appears an inscription in English, arranged in three lines: **“NOT LOST BUT GONE BEFORE”** **“Not lost, but she has gone before us.”** The inscription expresses the Christian belief that death is not an absolute end, but a passage to the next world. The deceased person is regarded as someone who has preceded their loved ones on the journey, rather than someone who has been lost forever. This wording was common in British mourning and memorial culture in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and appeared on gravestones, mourning jewellery and personal memorial objects. The use of this inscription gives the pendant profound emotional significance and emphasises its character as a memorial jewel. Pearls and Gold Threads Tiny seed pearls in shades of creamy white are incorporated around the monument and funerary urn. The pearls are arranged in rows along the architectural elements and in decorative groups around the urn. Between the pearls are fine gold threads, creating lines, arches and delicate ornaments. Pearls were a common element in mourning and sentimental jewellery in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The pearls were sometimes symbolically associated with tears, purity, remembrance and eternal love. The gold threads added a rich decorative dimension to the jewel and emphasised the architectural structure of the scene. The combination of gold, pearls and sepia painting creates a composition of exceptionally high jewellery quality. Hairwork in the Mourning Jewel The memorial scene also incorporates hairwork. During the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, a rich tradition of incorporating human hair into mourning and memorial jewellery developed in Britain. Hair was regarded as a material of special emotional significance because it was directly connected to the identity and memory of the person from whom it was taken. Locks of hair were incorporated into pendants, lockets, rings and brooches, and were sometimes displayed alongside miniature portraits or allegorical mourning scenes. In jewellery of this kind, the hair served as a personal relic of the person being remembered, giving the object a particularly intimate significance. The combination of the lady's portrait on the front with the hairwork and mourning scene on the reverse may indicate a personal or familial connection of emotional significance. Historical Background – England in 1787 The year 1787 falls within the reign of George III, who ruled Britain from 1760 to 1820. In the late eighteenth century, Britain was undergoing a period of significant social, cultural and economic change. Among the aristocracy and affluent classes, a rich culture of personal portraits, sentimental jewellery and memorial objects developed. Portrait miniatures served as family keepsakes, gifts between spouses and objects of emotional significance. At the same time, a tradition of mourning jewellery developed, incorporating portraits, hairwork, pearls, memorial inscriptions and allegorical scenes. These jewels made it possible to carry the memory of a loved one in a personal and intimate manner. The present miniature belongs to this tradition through the combination of a female portrait on the front and a complex mourning scene on the reverse. Mourning and Memorial Art in the Georgian Period During the eighteenth century, a rich culture of mourning and memorial objects developed in Britain. Mourning jewellery was sometimes created to commemorate the death of a loved one, incorporating symbols of loss, faith, hope and remembrance. Common motifs included funerary urns, memorial monuments, weeping willow trees, angels, clouds, flowers and memorial inscriptions. These scenes were sometimes painted in sepia tones, which suited the restrained and contemplative atmosphere of mourning jewellery. In certain cases, actual materials such as human hair, pearls and gold threads were incorporated into the paintings. Such works required a particularly high level of skill because of their small dimensions and the combination of painting with goldsmithing and jewellery making. The reverse of the present pendant displays a rich example of this tradition through the combination of an allegorical painting, a monument, an angel, gold, pearls and gold threads. Artistic Background – Portrait Miniatures in England in the Late Eighteenth Century During the second half of the eighteenth century, the art of miniature painting in England reached an exceptionally high artistic standard. Among the prominent artists active in this field were Richard Cosway (1742–1821), John Smart (1741–1811), George Engleheart (1750–1829), Andrew Plimer (1763–1837) and Richard Crosse (1742–1810). These artists developed delicate painting methods based on thin layers of colour, soft shading and accurate depiction of facial features. Female portrait miniatures frequently emphasised the sitter's hairstyle, clothing and personal expression. The portraits were set in gold, silver or gilt-metal frames, and sometimes incorporated hairwork or memorial scenes on the reverse. The present miniature displays these characteristics through the refined treatment of the face, the powdered hairstyle and the white dress, together with the elaborate mourning scene on the reverse. Provenance – Bonhams London, 2008 **The miniature comes from a sale at Bonhams London in 2008.** **Bonhams is one of the oldest auction houses in Britain and has, over the years, offered portrait miniatures, historical jewellery and decorative works of art for sale.** **The reported appearance of the miniature in a Bonhams sale may add interest to the ownership history of the work.** Artistic, Historical and Collectible Significance The miniature combines a high-quality female portrait from 1787, displaying a stylistic affinity with the tradition of Richard Cosway, a pendant frame made of gold and a particularly complex allegorical mourning scene on the reverse. The portrait on the front is characterised by refined treatment of the facial features, powdered hairstyle and white dress. The mourning scene on the reverse constitutes an independent work of miniature art, through the combination of a winged angel, a landscape with trees, a memorial monument, a funerary urn, goldsmith's work, seed pearls, gold threads and hairwork. The inscription “NOT LOST BUT GONE BEFORE” gives the jewel profound symbolic and emotional significance. The gold frame and the precious-metal elements on the reverse add material and jewellery value to the piece, alongside the artistic quality of the work. The combination of a personal portrait and a rich memorial scene reflects the tradition of mourning and memorial jewellery in England in the late eighteenth century. The provenance from Bonhams London in 2008 adds collectible interest. The piece constitutes a particularly interesting example of the combination of miniature portrait art, goldsmithing, pearls, hairwork and mourning and memorial iconography from the Georgian period. --- **Artist:** English School, in the manner of Richard Cosway (1742–1821) **Sitter:** A young lady identified as Miss Burns **Date:** 1787 **Period:** Georgian **Country of Origin:** England **Genre:** Female portrait miniature, half-length, combined with a mourning and memorial jewel **Technique:** Watercolours on natural substrate; on the reverse, a sepia painting incorporating hairwork, goldwork and pearls **Overall Dimensions Including Frame:** Approximately 7.1 × 5.6 cm **Frame:** Oval pendant frame made of gold, with smooth edges and an upper suspension fitting of open geometric design **Suspension Fitting:** Gold suspension fitting of open design at the top **Front:** Protected by a transparent cover **Reverse:** An allegorical mourning and memorial scene featuring a winged angel, a landscape with trees, a memorial monument and a funerary urn **Materials and Decorations on the Reverse:** Gold elements, gold threads, pearls and hairwork **Inscription on the Reverse:** “NOT LOST BUT GONE BEFORE” **Provenance:** Bonhams London, 2008
Auction 02: Rare 18th–19th Century Portrait Miniatures & Mourning Jewellery — Melis Antiques & Art