Object Description
A set of Bois Durci Portrait Roundels, 19th century
French, Late 19th Century
Diameter: 11.5, 16.5cm, depth 2cm
Attributed to the Francois Lepage, the inventor of this material, which is particularly well-suited to these intricate and detailed portrait miniatures, these Bois Durci roundels feature a variety of likenesses of famous historical figures. From Classical composers, such as Beethoven, Haydn, and Mozart, to historical leaders and monarchs such as Abraham Lincoln, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, each piece is meticulously crafted and executed with precision. One of the larger pieces depicts Mozart surrounded by putti, and the other commemorates the London exhibition of 1862, and is inscribed and marked on the reverse.