Europe, Germany, Franz Till, ca. mid 19th century CE. An oval porcelain plaque finely painted over a faint photographic image with a portrait of a distinguished gentleman in a 3/4 pose, wearing a black jacket, bow tie, and white dress shirt, his visage appearing remarkably realistic with a well-manicured beard and side-parted coiffure. Signed Fr. Till Dresden on the lower right for the notable artist Franz Till who according to Blattel was active around 1866 and was known for such portraits on porcelain and photographs. Till began as an independent painter and later developed a company which was active through the remainder of the 19th century. Size: 5" W x 7" H (12.7 cm x 17.8 cm)

Some of Till's work has sold for considerable sums. Follow this link to read more about two examples, one purportedly selling for $4300 and another for $5000 in recent auctions (http://european-miniatures2.blogspot.com/2007/11/till-franz-portrait-of-lady.html). While this piece is not as large and its composition somewhat less intricate, it nevertheless displays Till's fine artistry and technique.

Provenance: private Owen collection, New Jersey, USA, acquired in the 1990s from a US-based dealer

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#128994

Portrait plaque is in excellent condition. Some brown gallery paper remains on verso.