Bidspirit auction | Portrait Miniature of a British

Portrait Miniature of a British Army Officer Hand Signed Lawrence in Ebonized Wood Frame - A portrait miniature of a British Army officer, rendered in watercolor on a fine substrate, possibly ivory. The subject is depicted in a scarlet uniform jacket featuring black facings with gold lace loops and buttons, gold-fringed epaulettes, and a black stock over a white frilled shirt. The officer has powdered white hair and blue eyes. A small hand-painted signature in the lower center portion of the oval reads Lawrence. The miniature is housed under a convex glass cover within a cast gilt-metal oval frame featuring a repeating foliate pattern. This assembly is mounted to a rectangular ebonized wood panel. The top of the panel is decorated with a cast metal mount in the form of an acorn and oak leaves. The reverse of the wooden panel features an oval metal plaque secured by two pins, which is stamped with the name MOORE. The rear of the frame assembly shows metal securing tabs that exhibit a green oxidized finish. The ebonized wood panel measures approximately 5 inches in height and 4.75 inches in width. The oval miniature itself measures approximately 3 inches in height. The portrait miniature remains well-preserved under glass with vibrant pigments and no visible cracking to the substrate (photo 2). The ebonized wood frame shows loss to the black finish and chipping at the top edge near the acorn mount (photo 3) and at the upper right corner (photo 2). The gilt-metal oval frame displays a naturally darkened patina. On the reverse, the original paper backing is absent, and the metal securing tabs show surface oxidation (photo 5). The metal nameplate shows mild tarnishing.