English miniature, late 18th-early 19th century.
"Portrait of the actress Sarah Siddons".
Gouache on vellum.
Gilt metal frame.
Size: 6,5 x 5,5 cm; 9 x 6,5 cm (frame).
Sarah Siddons was a British theatre actress of the 18th century, known especially for her performance in tragedies.
From the Renaissance miniature portraits were pieces for private contemplation. Considered as jewellery, in the 17th century they became pieces of personal adornment or as gifts, when they were mounted as jewellery. They were executed in a wide variety of techniques, such as oil on copper, pewter or ivory, gouaches on parchment or card and, from the 18th century, watercolour on ivory. This delicate art was gradually lost from the second half of the 19th century onwards, in parallel with the development of photography. The most common type of work in the 19th century was historicist representations, often set in the preceding century.