Miniature Gentleman and Lady, 19th Century

A miniature, a gentleman circa 1810 1st: English school, with short curling brown hair, wearing a blue coat, white waistcoat, shirt and jabot, watercolour on card, oval card mount, oval giltwood frame. 2nd: together with a young lady, painted by Jane Drummond, Calcutta, c1831, her brown hair curled, wearing a white dress, a fine cross around her neck, watercolour on card, oval card mount, oval turned wood frame. lengths 5.31 in. and 5.51 in. (2) Provenance: Estate of the late Estelle Gould

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Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
Giltwood - Giltwood is used to describe a gold finish on furniture and other decorative wooden items, whereby a thin sheet of gold metal, called gold leaf, is applied to the surface for decorative purposes.

Unlike gilding, where the gold leaf is applied over a coating of gesso, with giltwood the gold leaf is applied direct to the surface, or over a coat of linseed oil gold leaf adhesive.

Most gold-finished mirrors will be gilded, whereas furniture with gold highlights will have the gold applied through the giltwood method.

This item has been included into following indexes:

miniatures
- 19th century 357
- Georgian 239
- on board or card 23
- portrait and other 1,223