John Miers 1756-1821 British School 18th/19th.Century Silhouette Portrait Of A Lady Wearing a lace-trimmed dress. Painted plaster, original frame with eglomise glass. Fracture to plaster at bottom edge, some losses to eglomise and chips to frame all to no real detriment. Indistinct label to reverse. 6.6 by 8 cms.
Miers was born in Leeds, where he worked as a painter of profile portraits, known as silhouettes, from 1781. He also travelled to various towns in the north of England and spent time in Edinburgh before settling in London in 1788. Miers was the best known and most prolific maker of this fashionable type of portrait, producing thousands of silhouettes which were considered to be excellent likenesses. It took two minutes to sit for a silhouette, the price for which ranged from 7 shillings and sixpence to one guinea