This is one handsome man! A real gent you might say. An unusual American folk silhouette with a hollow cut head and painted body. The cutting for the profile is beautifully delicate with that tiny cut eyelash. The artist’s stylus marks show that he improved on the physiognotrace’s outline by cutting the top of the head a bit tighter and adding the great flurry of hair with watercolor. This man must have had some head of hair if the tracing added so much to the top of his head! We often see men with a hollow cut head and shoulder and only the shirt front and jacket lapel uncut and colored in but this artist chose to make all of the clothing painted in watercolor. Again, we see by the stylus mark that the artist traced the body in profile but chose added watercolor flair by painting a portion of the man’s proper left side of the vest and lapel beyond the stylus marks. I love the striping on the waistcoat and the tight sleeve of the man’s jacket. All in all, this is a very stylish gentleman and an unusual silhouette. Condition is a bit better than fair with toning to the paper that is darker in some vertical areas than others. The edges of the paper are brittle as you can see in the scan of the unframed silhouette. Summary is there are some condition issues but it is priced accordingly (actually, it is a wonderful price) and it is smashing! Housed in a period stamped brass over wood frame. The reverse of the frame has a collection tag. Framed size is 4 ¼” x 5”. Circa 1830.

#5995    Sold