This folk art miniature watercolor portrait I believe is American, and based on the hairstyle and the manner of the painting I believe likely dates to the first quarter of the 19th century. (Included in photos is a c. 1795 portrait of a very similar looking gentleman by American itinerant folk artist John Brewster, who painted portraits around New England during that period.) I fell in love with this one for its folkiness, and for that hair (!), and the bright white shirt with raised collar, and for the clarity of the young man's features, including what look like very bright eyes even from a profile perspective. And then all that gold! He looks to me as if just on the cusp of setting forth to make his name in the world, eliciting a sense of empathy for the expectations surely placed on him, as well as making one want to sit up very straight and focused, too!
Framed: 6 1/4" x 5 3/4". Portrait itself measures approx 2 11/16" tall. Watercolor/gouache on paper or card, under glass in antique gold painted gessoed frame. Very good condition but for a bit of loss to the paint along the top edge. The cutout portrait sits just inside an oval niche in the gold mat, with a narrow gap between them along the sides, as evident. The back of the frame is backed with newer brown paper, taped around the perimeter, which I have not removed.
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