Early 19th Century Watercolour and Gouache Miniature by Emma Kendrick

Early 19th century watercolour and gouache miniature - by Emma Kendrick. Possibly of The Hon. Anne Elizabeth Weld Forester, seated and leaning over the back of a chair in a blue décolleté dress, her wavy hair parted in the middle and loosely drawn back as was the fashion of the time. A gold bracelet in the form of a snake with ruby eyes adorns one arm and a floating blue, wrapped sleeve part-covers the other. Painted on ivory, the miniature is set in a parcel gilt and silvered, cased frame with bright-cut patterned edge to the gilt mount. Silvered ring for hanging upon upper edge. Inscribed to rear of case ‘By Emma Kendrick (1820)’.

English, circa 1820

Emma Eleanora Kendrick (1788-1871) was the daughter of the sculptor Josephus Kendrick (fl. 1813 - 1829), gold medal winner from the Royal Academy and frequent exhibitor there. Between the years 1810 and 1817, Emma won several prizes from the Society of Arts and exhibited regularly at the Society of Artists in Suffolk Street, London, between the years 1815 and 1820. With her increasing success as a miniaturist, she exhibited for the first time at the Royal Academy in 1811, and her success grew from there. With an already large practice and important reputation from painting portraits of royalty and eminent personalities, she was subsequently appointed as miniature painter to both Princess Elizabeth of Hesse-Homburg and William IV in 1831.

In 1830 Kendrick published her own treatise of miniature painting titled Conversations on the Art of Miniature Painting. In a series of conversations between ‘Ellen’ and her tutor ‘Miss K.’, Kendrick illuminates the art of miniature painting for female practitioners who could work from the comfort of their own home. She encourages Ellen not only to mix her own colours for her pictures and educate herself in geometry and arts but also to visit collections of art to ‘cultivate taste’. Though Ellen is fictional, the book was dedicated to ‘Misses Forrester’, possibly The Hon. Anne Elizabeth Weld Forester, Countess of Chesterfield (1802-1885) and her sister, Isabella Elizabeth Annabella Weld Forester, the Hon Mrs George Anson (1805-1858), daughters of Baron Forester of Willey Park, both of whom were previous pupils of Kendrick and both of whom married in November 1830.

We believe that this portrait miniature may be of Anne Elizabeth when she was 18 years of age.

This object incorporates old ivory and has been registered with Defra.

Dimensions: H: 5.5" (14 cm), W: 4.2" (10.7 cm).

Stock No: 1509

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