GEORGE ENGLEHEART (1750-1829)

Portrait miniature of an Elderly Gentleman, wearing a powdered bag wig and red coat and waistcoat, with white stock and cravat

3.5 cm (1 ³/₈ inches)
Watercolour on ivory
Ivory registration number: CFPSQWF9
Gold bracelet clasp frame, with later loop addition

 

SOLD

'Every wrinkle is portrayed in the present portrait, the sitter’s bright blue eyes peer from under hooded lids and he appears to have lost most of his teeth.'
This portrait of an elderly gentlemen was painted with careful observation by a young George Engleheart, and provides the wearer (it is still set in the original bracelet clasp frame) with an incredibly lifelike depiction of a loved one. The remarkable technical skills demonstrated by Engleheart here are closely aligned with those of John Smart (1742-1811), who he would have known through the closely connected network of artists living and working in Georgian London. Every wrinkle is portrayed in the present portrait, the sitter’s bright blue eyes peer from under hooded lids and he appears to have lost most of his teeth. There is a dignity in the formal wig, but the distinct white powder line at the side of the sitter’s face and the fallen powder on his burgundy jacket (cut in a style fashionable a decade earlier) give a naturalistic touch. Although the sitter is unknown, facial similarities have been pointed out between this portrait and the musician James Nares (1715-1783), however the gentleman in the present portrait seems older than Nares would have been in the mid-1770s.

George Engleheart was just nineteen when he entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1769. Here he would excel and embark upon an illustrious career in miniature painting. He became miniature painter to George III when the role was vacated by the death of his friend Jeremiah Meyer in 1789. Many of his works that are known today can be traced within his own accounts of painting, in the form of a fee book that has been transcribed numerous times. The care given to every portrait he painted (an estimated 4,853 miniatures over a 39 year career) is astonishing given he was working around 70 hours a week (the time it took to paint a miniature is fairly well documented - typically around 35 hours for a head and shoulders portrait).

 
Private Collection, UK.

shipping notice

Worldwide shipping is included in all prices.

The Limner Company does not accept any responsibility for import duty, this is to be paid by the buyer.

Some stock items contain materials from endangered species which are governed by CITES regulations and will require a permit to export outside of Great Britain. If a certificate of export is required then this will be the responsibility of and paid for by the buyer .

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Portrait miniature of an Elderly Gentleman, wearing a powdered bag wig and red coat and waistcoat, with white stock and cravat

GEORGE ENGLEHEART

(1750-1829)

Portrait miniature of an Elderly Gentleman, wearing a powdered bag wig and red coat and waistcoat, with white stock and cravat

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shipping notice

The item added to cart contains materials from endangered or protected species. The Limner Company cannot arrange for the delivery of artworks containing ivory, tortoiseshell, or mother of pearl outside of the UK due to import restrictions. The buyer or designated agent may collect the property in the country of sale.

You are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of any items made from or containing certain endangered or protected species (such as ivory, tortoiseshell, or mother of pearl), while other countries will require a permit (e.g. a CITES licence). Such permits must be obtained from the relevant regulatory body in both the country of importation and exportation. If you intend to import such items into another country you should familiarise yourself with the relevant customs regulations and laws before purchase. Delays or refusal of import or export of such works shall not permit cancellation of a sale. It is your responsibility to satisfy any laws or regulations applying to the import or export of any work containing such protected species. For further information on the protected species listed please visit the CITES website:http://www.cites.org/. For further information about import and export regulations please visit:http://www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla-en/imports-exports/cites/. On request, the Company can assist with or apply for a license on your behalf.

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shipping TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Worldwide shipping is included in all prices.

The Limner Company does not accept any responsibility for import duty, this is to be paid by the buyer.

See Section 7.5 in Terms & Conditions for information on export/import regulations. Please contact us to discuss shipping options. Some stock items contain materials from endangered species which are governed by CITES regulations and will require a permit to export outside of Great Britain. If a certificate of export is required then this will be the responsibility of and paid for by the buyer.

See Section 7.5 in Terms & Conditions for information on export/import regulations.

Please contact us to discuss shipping options.

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