Superb portrait miniature, "Incroyables et Merveilleuses" - the slightly smug face of a spoiled rich fashionable Parisian making political statement. An exquisite but unsigned French portrait miniature, handsome gray topper wig, dog-ears fashion which along with the massive cravat and jaunty striped vest, sets him squarely into the "Incroyables", c.1795-1799. this brown-eyed young man who wears an elaborate white cravat with gold pin, and the ribbon of the Revolution (red, white - reminder of the blood of the guillotined Royals). He might well have been one of the wealthy students at the 1832 student uprising, Paris, barricade of a real-life Les Miserables, but in fact he dates earlier. The portrait is, I am certain, late 1700s, and that red edging, instead, mean he is an aristocrat in support of Royalty overthrown and beheaded in The Terror. A fashion celebrating excess, riches, these young people scandalized Paris in the days after the execution of Robespierre. The history is wonderful and must be read. The red near the neck is a typical sign of support and memorial to those aristocrats who were overthrown in the French Revolution, late 1700s. So he's somewhere between 1795 to 1799 when the fashion exuberance faded.
Very good to excellent throughout, the painting is beautifully crafted, definitely a noted artist but unsigned. Housed perfectly beneath the original convex cover glass (front and back), the painting and a 18k fronted brass frame which likely once fit into a snuff box top. Just the front is 14k gold (acid tested), but elevates the offering as such. The miniature is 2 5/8" diameter in frame. That face is just 5/8" from chin to hairline, yet look at the confidence, perhaps even defiance, in his visage. Could be considered fine jewelry, a pendant. A superb museum quality miniature and, true to his economic status, the 14k layer front to his frame. Convex glass is original, and no damage to it nor the painting. I see nothing to report as flaw apart from a small rim dent outside of frame.
