Lovely circa 1840 bust length silhouette of a pretty young woman. She wears a muslin cap with a nice frill framing her face just beyond her hair. The cap finishes with a stunning medallion of ribbon or flowers and ties in the back. We can barely see that she wears something on a chain around her neck. But her flat bodice that extends beyond the natural waist shows us that she is wearing the deep V where the bodice ends at the skirt—styling that began in the 1840s to enhance a small waist, as it does here. She resides in a period rectangular papier mâché frame with an unusual brass arched mat inside the brass slip. There is craquelure to the black frame and some dings to the edge. Framed size is 4 ¾” x 5 1/8”. There are a number of silhouettists who used this bust termination line and did excellent gilding—both make attribution difficult.

She comes out of the Collection of Marty and the Late Dan Campanelli. Their label on the reverse says Campanelli label says "Cut & paste profile with bronzing, English artist not-yet-identified. Unidentified sitter. Circa 1830. Photograph shows penciled information found on back of card stock, but it is hard to decipher. Conservation framed."

#7280     $295

Provenance: Collection of Marty & the late Dan Campanelli