Silhouette of an unknown man thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Portrait Miniatures, Room 90a, The International Music and Art Foundation Gallery

Silhouette of an unknown man

Bracelet
ca. 1790-1848 (painted)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

In the 18th century, cut-paper images (usually blackened) were called 'shades' or, if they were portraits, 'profiles'. The taste for profiles grew in the 1770s when the archaeological discoveries of Roman sites at Herculaneum and Pompeii encouraged a wave of neo-Classicism. Profiles were given added popularity by the publication in 1775 of the hugely popular Essays on Physiognomy by the Swiss theologian and poet J. C. Lavater. This was illustrated with numerous simple black profiles, because, Lavater claimed, by concentrating on a person's main features one could detect their character, both their virtues and their vices.

The 'silhouette' (so called after a French minister notorious for wasting his time on this popular hobby) was primarily commercially successful because in its simplest form it was a cheap and quick method of portraiture. With mechanical aids, a sitting could be one minute and endless repetitions for friends and family could be done without further tedious sittings. But the desire for novelty on the part of both artists and clients soon led to diversification from the original cut paper or simple painted profiles on paper. Artists could paint on the under surface of flat or convex glass, using oil colour or watercolour. The glass was then framed against a plaster background, and sometimes those profiles painted on convex glass would be backed by a thin coating of wax. Artists could paint on plaster, but watercolour, ink or oil were not suitable and it seems that artists used some kind of soot or charcoal based pigment. In another popular method borrowed from miniature painting, the artist worked in watercolour on ivory, often with bronzed highlights as in this example by John Field.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleSilhouette of an unknown man (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Watercolour on ivory set on a hair bracelet
Brief description
Silhouette portrait of an unknown man, painted on ivory by John Field and set onto a metal bracelet woven with hair. Great Britain, ca. 1790-1848.
Physical description
Silhouette portrait of an unknown man, painted in a very dark brown or black and bronze colour, on a quasi-rectangular piece of ivory with rounded corners. The silhoeutte is set onto a metal bracelet, the straps of which have been finely woven or plaited with hair. Signed by the artist.
Dimensions
  • Size of ivory height: 32mm
  • Width: 21mm
Marks and inscriptions
Field II Strand (Signed below the bust)
Credit line
Given by Captain Desmond Coke
Subjects depicted
Summary
In the 18th century, cut-paper images (usually blackened) were called 'shades' or, if they were portraits, 'profiles'. The taste for profiles grew in the 1770s when the archaeological discoveries of Roman sites at Herculaneum and Pompeii encouraged a wave of neo-Classicism. Profiles were given added popularity by the publication in 1775 of the hugely popular Essays on Physiognomy by the Swiss theologian and poet J. C. Lavater. This was illustrated with numerous simple black profiles, because, Lavater claimed, by concentrating on a person's main features one could detect their character, both their virtues and their vices.

The 'silhouette' (so called after a French minister notorious for wasting his time on this popular hobby) was primarily commercially successful because in its simplest form it was a cheap and quick method of portraiture. With mechanical aids, a sitting could be one minute and endless repetitions for friends and family could be done without further tedious sittings. But the desire for novelty on the part of both artists and clients soon led to diversification from the original cut paper or simple painted profiles on paper. Artists could paint on the under surface of flat or convex glass, using oil colour or watercolour. The glass was then framed against a plaster background, and sometimes those profiles painted on convex glass would be backed by a thin coating of wax. Artists could paint on plaster, but watercolour, ink or oil were not suitable and it seems that artists used some kind of soot or charcoal based pigment. In another popular method borrowed from miniature painting, the artist worked in watercolour on ivory, often with bronzed highlights as in this example by John Field.
Collection
Accession number
P.169-1922

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdMarch 12, 2003
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest