This portrait miniature by Gustavus Hamilton (1739-75), traditionally identified as depicting his sister Elizabeth Hamilton, is priced at £4250 from Elizabeth Fitzsimmons.
Signed and dated 1764, the watercolour on ivory portrait shows the sitter in a blue dress edged with white lace and a pearl necklace and comes in its original gold bracelet clasp mount encased with old-cut diamonds and rubies.
“This miniature by Hamilton conveys his artistry skill at the height of his career as a miniaturist,” says Fitzsimmons. “This can be seen in his use of blue undertones and shaded stippling prevalent throughout, with particular attention toward her facial features.”
The son of an Irish vicar, Hamilton spent all his working life in Dublin where he attracted a fashionable clientele. His contemporary, actor and artist John O’Keefe, noted that Hamilton “was encouraged by ladies of the first rank… and made a power of money by his pencil”.
