This early hand-painted snuff box lid has no bottom, but it's all about the lid anyway. (I'd probably treat it just like a miniature portrait and hang it directly from a nail on the wall.) I've gotten pretty into portraits of woman lately, and have especially been keeping an eye out for portraits of young women with birds, which it seems were used to signal a range of things, from virtue to nobility to (sexual) freedom to fertility. I''m guessing it's a parrot on the arm of the lovely young woman here, with red wing and what was surely once a brighter green body, which she points to directly with the index finger of the other hand as if to say "pay attention, this bird is a symbol!" and one surely meant to underline her desirability. Based on her neckline, sleeves and hairstyle, I'm pretty certain this dates to right around 1830, and believe continental European.
3 1/16" d x 3/8" d and in good condition. Craquelure, which I like, and one patch of paint loss to the background at right.
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