Miniature Husband and Wife Pair, c. 1818
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A miniature, a pair of miniatures of a husband and wife circa 1818 1st: she with her lace cap embellished with flowers, blonde curls, her white lace-trimmed gown tied with a blue sash, signed Hudson, dated 1818. 2nd: he with grey curled hair, wearing a dark grey coat, with fawn collar, blue and white striped waistcoat, white shirt and jabot. Both rectangular elaborate giltwood frames, decorated with acanthus leaves, grapes and foliage, both with paper labels to reverse. 3rd: together with a lady, English school, c1820, with her brown hair dressed in ringlets, wearing a white lace trimmed dress, with gold belt buckle, red coral necklace, seated on a blue chaise longue, blue draped curtain to sinister, blue sky background, rectangular giltwood foliate decorated frame. lengths 8.7 cm and 9 cm (3) provenance: Estate of the late Estelle Gould
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- Acanthus - A stylized leaf motif, one of the primary decorative elements of classical Greek and Roman architecture, derived from the genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Mediterranean area. It is a common element in classical Greek and Roman design, and is often seen in Corinthian and Composite order columns and used as a decorative element in English, European and Australian furniture, particularly on the curve of a leg, and as decoration for a corbel.
- 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. - Sinister - The words dexter and sinister are commonly used in heraldry, but have a more general application in the world of antiques and collectables (mainly sculpture and numismatics) to describe the position of the head of the subject. Dexter, which is Latin for right means the subject is looking to their right, while sinister, which is Latin for left, means the subject is looking to their left.
- 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.
- Foliate - Decorated with leaves or leaf-like forms.
- Signed or Stamped - A signed piece of furniture may mean that the maker has signed (and hopefully dated) the piece in the same way that we sign a cheque, but more likely, that it bears evidence of the name of the maker, wholesaler or retailer as a paper label, metal plaque, impressed into the timber or in later pieces after about 1880, stamped onto the timber with an ink stamp.
The 'signature' or stamp will always be in an unobtrusive position: under the top of a table, on the underside of the rails of a chair, inside a drawer or on the back.
The fact that a piece is 'signed' considerably enhances its value. Signed Australian furniture is extremely rare, and for imported furniture, it is a mark of quality of the item, as only the items by the top makers or retailers were 'signed' - Provenance - A term used to describe the provable history of an antique or work of art, and thus an additional aid to verifying its authenticity. Provenance can have an inflating effect on the price of an item, particularly if the provenance relates to the early settlement of Australia, a famous person, or royalty. Less significant are previous sales of the item through an auction house or dealer.
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