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ID #SA1139482
FOR SALE
£360
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John Miers Unusual Silhouette with Motto
For sale by Wigs on the Green
for sale €421     $457
£360
Wigs on the Green

Wigs on the Green

Sellingantiques Verified Since May 2020
Browse dealers 82 items
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    Small portraiture of character & historical interest
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John Miers Unusual Silhouette with Motto

18th century
Description

But wisdom is the gray hair unto men, and an unspotted life is old age – Wisdom of Solomon 4:9

By choosing this Biblical verse to be inscribed around the verre églomisé mount on this silhouette suggests that the sitter may have died young having led an exemplary life. The profile itself may have been painted from memory or a copy of an earlier profile may have been painted post-mortem with the inscription added to honour the sitter.

The silhouette shows a young gentleman in a bound pigtail wig wearing a frilled chemise and buttoned-up coat. Sadly his name has been lost to history.

Painted on plaster, the silhouette resides in the original papier-mâché frame with an inner pearwood border and is backed with the artist’s complete trade label no. 11 in use from 1791. Apart from a little light dust (exaggerated by the camera) both silhouette and frame are in fine condition.

Framed Size: 164 x 139mm

Physical Dimensions
Height
16cm (6.30")
Width
14cm (5.51")
Declaration

Wigs on the Green has dated this John Miers Silhouette Portrait to the Georgian era.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1139482
Dealers Internal Reference
7706
Dealers Notes

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

Description
But wisdom is the gray hair unto men, and an unspotted life is old age – Wisdom of Solomon 4:9
“
By choosing this Biblical verse to be inscribed around the verre églomisé mount on this silhouette suggests that the sitter may have died young having led an exemplary life.
Wigs on the Green

The profile itself may have been painted from memory or a copy of an earlier profile may have been painted post-mortem with the inscription added to honour the sitter.

fig 1. A rectangular black framed profile silhouette of a gentleman featuring an oval verre eglomise glass surround with a gold motto inscription.
fig 1. John Miers Unusual Silhouette with Motto

The silhouette shows a young gentleman in a bound pigtail wig wearing a frilled chemise and buttoned-up coat. Sadly his name has been lost to history.

Painted on plaster, the silhouette resides in the original papier-mâché frame with an inner pearwood border and is backed with the artist’s complete trade label no. 11 in use from 1791. Apart from a little light dust (exaggerated by the camera) both silhouette and frame are in fine condition.

Framed Size: 164 x 139mm

Height
16cm (6.30")
Width
14cm (5.51")
Date of Manufacture

Wigs on the Green has dated this John Miers Silhouette Portrait to the Georgian era.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1139482
Dealers Internal Ref
7706
Wigs on the Green
Wigs on the Green
Sellingantiques verified Since May 2020

Small portraiture of character & historical interest

Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Wigs on the Green Profile Page

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A rectangular black framed profile silhouette of a gentleman featuring an oval verre eglomise glass surround with a gold motto inscription.
1 / 3
Archive I A rectangular black framed profile silhouette of a gentleman featuring an oval verre eglomise glass surround with a gold motto inscription.

John Miers Unusual Silhouette with Motto

Archive II A rectangular black framed profile silhouette of a gentleman featuring an oval verre eglomise glass surround with a gold motto inscription. View II
Archive III A rectangular black framed profile silhouette of a gentleman featuring an oval verre eglomise glass surround with a gold motto inscription. View III
Enlarged Archival View
Wigs on the Green

Wigs on the Green
Telephone 07962 257915
Location
York
Yorkshire
United Kingdom
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/wigsonthegreen
Verified Since May 2020
Items For Sale 82
Items Sold 316
Wigs on the Green
Wigs on the Green
Verified Since May 2020
View Dealer Info
Location: York, Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/wigsonthegreen
Verified
May 2020
For Sale
82
Sold
316
A rectangular black framed profile silhouette of a gentleman featuring an oval verre eglomise glass surround with a gold motto inscription.
John Miers Unusual Silhouette with Motto
Ref: SA1139482
A rectangular black framed profile silhouette of a gentleman featuring an oval verre eglomise glass surround with a gold motto inscription.
Detail View 1
Detail View 2
Archival Detail

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Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectSilhouette Portrait
  • Period18th century
  • StyleGeorgian
  • MaterialGlass, Ebonised Wood, Brass, Ink
  • ColourBlack, Gold
  • MotifsGentleman profile silhouette, Verre eglomise glass panel, Oval aperture mount, Brass hanger ring
  • SizeH 16 cm (6 in) x W 14 cm (6 in)

This Georgian silhouette portrait shows a gentleman profile silhouette within a verre eglomise glass panel with an oval aperture mount, a brass hanger ring, and a gold motto inscription. The composition employs glass, ebonised wood, brass, and ink, finished in black and gold on a gentleman's library object type. It measures 16 cm high and 14 cm wide, fitting a narrow wall space in domestic settings. The image displays a round brass suspension ring at the top, a polished black wooden rectangular outer border, and white dust specks settled across the polished dark surfaces. wisdom is the gray hair unto men, and an unspotted life is old age appears inscribed around the glass mount, accompanying a painted plaster portrait of a young gentleman in a bound pigtail wig, frilled chemise, and buttoned-up coat. Original papier-mache framing encloses an inner pearwood border and a complete trade label on the reverse. The piece functions effectively when hung individually or grouped within studies, corridors, or alcoves.

FAQs

Silhouette portraits were profile likenesses created in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, rendered in solid black onto plaster, paper, or glass as a popular form of portraiture prior to photography.

Artists typically painted profiles using black ink or soot on plaster, card, or ivory, often housed behind glass within ebonised wooden frames or papier-mache mounts with brass fittings.

Authentic pieces feature period-correct framing materials such as ebonised fruitwood or papier-mache, brass acorn hangers, reverse-gilded glass surrounds known as verre eglomise, and fine hair detail.

These miniature artworks style effectively as part of a layered gallery wall, suspended in a narrow wall niche, or placed alongside period ceramics on a mantelpiece or bookshelf.

Display silhouettes away from direct sunlight and fluctuating humidity to protect paper and paint media, and gently clean the outer glass using a soft dry cloth.
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