You have to see this little marvel in person, hold it in your hand, and then look at it under a loupe or a magnifying glass really to appreciate what a work of art it is. The details of the feathers, the eyes, the pearls on the dress, the beautiful expression ... Looking at photographs, it seems like a full-sized painting, but it's less than an inch in each direction.

Measurements
height: about 7/8 inch
width: about 3/4
weight: 5.8 grams

Another marvel: I doubt you will find this mini portrait anywhere; I've never seen one before. It might be meant to be Marie Antoinette herself, more likely one of the ill-fated queen's friends at court--they all wore tall feathers in their big hair, and as the French Revolution started rumbling, they put on the bleu-blanc-rouge (blue-white-red) to try to show the nobles supported the cause of the lower classes. This lady seems to be wearing ermine on her shoulders, which would be a sign of royalty.

In any event, this is an indisputably exquisite work of miniature art. It was most likely made in the middle of the 20th century. The frame (stamped and tested 14K on the back) was at least made then; you can date it by the locking c-clasp. Portrait jewelry became fashionable with the Victorian, etc., Revival movements of the 1940s and 1950s.

Condition is excellent. I have not tried to clean it, but in my opinion it does not need cleaning. There's a thin layer of glass over the painting--hence the glare in the photographs.

Miniature portraits were lovers' gifts to each other from the 1500s onward. Imagine this tiny picture being handed to a suitor to wear inside his clothing, near his (or her, or their) heart ...

This special find is from an estate and has been resting in my nonsmoking, pet-loving home for a while now.

Thank you for looking!

This item is sold from a vintage boutique in Virginia.