Description:
FRENCH MINIATURE PORTRAIT BERNARD FRANCK COLLECTION.
French miniature portrait on ivory of a young patriot girl holding a doll. Revolutionary period - 18th century.
Round portrait 2 3/4inches sight (64mm).
A little girl sits on a chair, holding a doll on her lap. Long, reddish brown hair hiding her gold earrings, under a bonnet with red flowers and a frilly
rim. Serious expression on her pretty face. While clearly young, she looks very directly at the viewer adding to the mystery of who she is and why she was
painted, especially during this very dangerous time for wealthy Frenchmen.
We have not opened the back, so don't know if more information is written there. Back of frame has original Bernard Franck lables with minimal information
about the sitter.
Painting acquired legally and painted on an ivory disc well over 100 years old.
BERNARD FRANCK (1848-1924)
Bernard Franck was born in Paris in 1848. He was a veteran of the 1870 Franco-Prussian War, during which he was awarded the Medaille Militaire. He was an
industrialist, specializing in the manufacturing of military equipment. His success in business enabled him to become an inveterate collector.
He amassed his vast collection over 45 years from 1875 to 1920. The collection consisted of 18th Century and early 19th Century objects – miniature portraits
(many emphasizing military subjects), medals and decorations, armory, uniforms, paintings, engravings, a variety of bibelots.
Besides the miniature portraits, especially noteworthy was Franck’s collection of Carnets de Bal (dance cards). He sold this collection to J.P.Morgan around
1910. Before doing so, he had the collection reproduced in an album entitled “Collection de 124 carnets de bal du XVIIIe siecle/formee par M.Bernard Franck a
Paris de l’annee 1875 au 23 avril 1902”. Only 20 albums were produced, of which one is in the Watson Library of the Metropolitan Museum and one in the Morgan
Library, autographed by Franck to Morgan. Franck died in 1924. The collection that follows has been held within the family since that time.
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