Object Description
Watercolour on ivory (6TE38Z6D). *PLEASE NOTE we are unable to export this item to the European Union or the United States. See our Terms & Conditions for more information.*
Set in a gold locket frame, the reverse with plaited hair within blue glass surround.
By the time this portrait was painted, circa 1795, Andrew Plimer was well established as an artist. He ran a successful practice from Golden Square in London’s Soho, a fashionable area, and had exhibited at the Royal Academy since 1786.
Plimer produced a prolific number of miniatures during his long career, and the speed at which he worked may have been the reason he abandoned consistently signing his works after 1789. The present portrait dates to the 1790s, soon after his practice had really gathered pace.
The sitter’s handsome looks follow Plimer’s style of idealisation, that clearly appealed to a large clientele. His strong aquiline nose and large, shadowed eyes are typical of this. However, the brilliant white glint in his pale eyes is particularly noticeable in this appealing example.