I've collected portrait miniatures and snuff boxes for decades. No two alike, each a true work of art. This beautiful woman, whose name we do not know, is gowned and coiffed in a manner we recognize as c.1835-45. Either she wears some makeup, or she has the most naturally beautiful eyes ever. A slight blush on her cheeks and stunning face structure and eyes, she must have turned every head in her time. And the artist who has captured both her beauty and the sultry look, while not named by signature, has worked magic in that perfect face, only 3/4" from chin to hairline. Purchased from an anonymous estate, disbursed in France.
Very good to excellent condition throughout, with a nod to the dings and dents you can see on the circle mat holding her and her convex cover glass in place atop that superb old snuff box. The mat is relatively thin brass with an even thinner layer of gold. I am not going to scrape it to acid test, but it looks to be a thick foil of 12k or higher. She does not want to easily come out of her fitted place in the snuff box lid, so all photos are taken through her convex cover glass, leaving glares from our photographer's lights. There is no damage nor discoloration at all to this magnificent painting, and the box is also without cracks, chips, bug bites.
