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# 32145
Rodolphe Bell (d. 1849) "Portrait of a gentleman", 1809, earliest known miniature of the artist!
Price: ON REQUEST
(please note additional 10% tax applies for transactions concluded within the European Union)
THE SELLER WILL COVER INSURED SHIPPING WITH REGULAR MAIL FOR THIS ITEM!
Set in traveling leather case, this miniature portrait of a gentleman bearing the Cross of Maltese Order (with unusual red bow!) is the earliest known work of Franco-Swiss portrait miniaturist Rodolphe Bell (Bel). According to Saur's artist dictionary, the artist's first work was mentioned in 1819. On the contrary, Nathalie Lemoine-Bouchard mentions a miniature dated 1817. Our miniature, dated 1809, demonstrates a 1st-class quality, which allows us to maintain that Bell already then established himself as a professional painter. All sources say that he was a pupil of Isabey, yet they do not specify when these studies took place...
Rodolphe Bell (Bel) was born in Payerne, Switzerland. From 1819 he was mentioned as being active in Paris, where he was a pupil of Isabey, and where he exhibited at the Salon in 1822, 1824, and 1827. According to J.J. Foster, he might have worked for some time in England, but there is no confirmation of this fact. Schidlof writes "Bel was an excellent artist, very much influenced by his teacher Isabey. It is not surprising that certain works of Bel were confused with those of Isabey". The artist died in Paris in 1849.
Provenance: private collection, USA
mimar08ap10
Condition: good; glass of the case had been lost
Creation Year: 1809
Measurements:UNFRAMED:6,4x5,4cm/2,5x2,1in FRAMED: 7,5x6,6cm/3,0x2,6in
Object Type:traveling case with miniature
Style: Portrait Miniatures
Technique: watercolor on ivory
Inscription:signed and dated: Bel fecit 1809
Creator: Rodolphe Bell
Creator Dates: Payerne-1849 Paris
Nationality:Swiss / French
- We will cover shipping with regular registered mail (delivery between 7-14 days), as well as insurance costs for this item.
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OBS: Austrian mail refunds cases of loss or damage with maximum EUR 500 to the US (in Europe sometimes more, depending on destination).
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