Stunning cut & paste silhouette of a very fashionably dressed young woman, attributed to Royal Victoria Gallery. The gilt embellishment is almost portrait-like….something that the Frith family seemed to accomplish with ease. Look closely and you can see that her ringlets are extended beyond the cut figure to light painting directly onto the background card. Her dress is low across her shoulders with very dramatic Victoria sleeves that puff at the shoulder the caught tightly by a sash-like ribbon then flare out to end below the ribbon as an over-sleeve. Below the end of the top sleeve is the actual, full sleeve that puffs out behind her but then drops dramatically into a deep V and then tightens from her elbow to her wrist. Also, look closely to see her fur boa that the artist has painted to look translucent as it falls from her shoulder down to the floor. Look to the other side of her body to see how he has painted the boa directly on the card so that you just get the idea of the wispiness of it. She holds a long handkerchief from her very well painted hand. She wears a necklace that shows above her dress but look closely to see the long watch chain that extends down to her waist. This is really one of the most exciting silhouettes with respect to clothing that I’ve ever seen. Now, she has some apologies which really allow me to make the price reasonable. Her foot is either repaired or replaced. There are several marks on the background card where someone attempted to cover stains and have left the spots whiter than the rest of the card. I find these apologies minor but the background card could probably be improved by a paper conservator. You will also notice a straight horizontal white line toward the bottom of the silhouette—this is a reflection in the glass and not real—sorry about that. I’ve included a photo with arrows pointing out the white spots on the background card. She is housed in a beautifully figured flat-profile bird’s-eye maple frame with a gilt slip. Framed size is 11 ½” x 14 ½”. Circa 1840.
#5773 Sold
