M. Becich (active France, mid 19th century)
Miniature of Joseph Dwernicki, 1833
Oil, 7.5 x 5.5 cm (2 15/16 x 2 3/16 in.)
This miniature oil portrait of a young man is centered in a gilded oval frame placed atop a red leather rectangular shaped folio with a gold embossed border with floral details at the corners. On the upper left of the folio, there is a piece of tape with the number “1509” written in a stylized longhand. The portrait is of Joseph Dwernicki, a light-skinned young man with a rosy, bright and glowing complexion. He has vivid blue eyes, yellow wavy hair, a high forehead and a large golden Van Dyke mustache and goatee. His body is turned slightly to our right, while his head is turned back to our left and center in order to look directly at the viewer with a slight smile. He is fashionably attired in a white dress shirt with a very pronounced stiff upturned collar with a single orange button at its center. A thick fur wrap is draped over his right shoulder on top of a black coat. The artist’s signature is on the right side within the frame at an angle.
Little Salon
Commentary
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