Figures in a Garden
This unusual miniature may be a romantic allegory, of the kind exchanged during the late 18th and early 19th century to commemorate secret love. Yet the remarkable intimacy in this scene is not between the male and female figures. Rather it is between the woman and her dog, who appear to be gazing intently into each other’s eyes. A dog is a widely utilized symbol of fidelity, and images of women with dogs are rather common, yet this is an exceptional image. The reference here may be to the literary figure of Maria, a minor yet celebrated character who appears with her dog Sylvio in two of Laurence Sterne’s novels, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman and A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy. The latter was published in 1768, and widely known, including in America. Maria’s melancholy figure quickly became a frequent subject for artists.
The stippled, landscape includes a round neoclassical temple with two Corinthian columns framing the female figure. The column at proper right has tendrils of greenery cascading around it. The woman is seated on a brown bench, and just behind her are pink rose bushes. At the base of the scene is perhaps an indication of a stream or garden border.
The narrow front of the gold alloy casing is simple, flat, and unobtrusive. The verso has a patterned border of groups of incised lines and dots; it is otherwise undecorated. There is one original affixed loop at the top edge; the second attached to it is likely 20th century, and in a different metal.
There is a red leather case for the miniature.
Published ReferencesW.B. Gerard, Laurence Sterne and the Visual Imagination (Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2006, 135-173. (General Reference.)
Robin Jaffee Frank, Love and Loss: American Portrait and Mourning Miniatures (New Haven: Yale, 2000), 28. (General Reference.)
