Rare Family Group of Silhouettes on Glass by Hutchins

19th century

Sold by Wigs on the Green

Description

This delightful family group – military father, elegant mother and cute child – are delicately painted on convex glass and backed with silk. The mother and child are painted in a similar style: the face in black and the costume nicely detailed in transparency with the silk backing adding texture. The uniformed father is painted in black with gum arabic and gold highlights and, unlike the others, is without a bust-line termination. The parents have matching drum and sword hangers.

The silhouettes are each backed with the original cream silk packed behind with old cotton wool padding; they reside in their original papier-mâché frames. Two profiles are then backed with old playing cards, the other has inside a cut-down hand-written appointment card bearing the name E Turner dated 1814.

Philip Hutchins Rogers was born and educated in Plymouth. He is mostly known for his landscape views of the Plymouth area which he exhibited. He painted very few silhouettes suggesting it may have been an artform used solely to paint family and friends during the early 1800s.

Provenance: Acquired for the Christie Collection in February 1944

Literature: McKechnie, British Silhouette Artists and their Work, illus. pp.114 & 598

Physical Dimensions

Height

12cm (4.72")

Width

10cm (3.94")

Declaration

Wigs on the Green has dated this piece to the Regency era.

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Reference

SA1088284

Dealers Internal Reference

C512

Dealers Notes

All prices include UK postage. International shipping will be at cost.

Description

This delightful family group – military father, elegant mother and cute child – are delicately painted on convex glass and backed with silk.

“

The mother and child are painted in a similar style: the face in black and the costume nicely detailed in transparency with the silk backing adding texture.

Wigs on the Green

The uniformed father is painted in black with gum arabic and gold highlights and, unlike the others, is without a bust-line termination. The parents have matching drum and sword hangers.

fig 1. Rare Family Group of Silhouettes on Glass by Hutchins

The silhouettes are each backed with the original cream silk packed behind with old cotton wool padding; they reside in their original papier-mâché frames. Two profiles are then backed with old playing cards, the other has inside a cut-down hand-written appointment card bearing the name E Turner dated 1814.

fig 2. Rare Family Group of Silhouettes on Glass by Hutchins

Philip Hutchins Rogers was born and educated in Plymouth. He is mostly known for his landscape views of the Plymouth area which he exhibited. He painted very few silhouettes suggesting it may have been an artform used solely to paint family and friends during the early 1800s.

Provenance: Acquired for the Christie Collection in February 1944

Literature: McKechnie, British Silhouette Artists and their Work, illus. pp.114 & 598