Posted 7 years ago
stigofthed…
(10 items)
Hi friends, I recently acquired this brooch in the Rococo style, which I think might be an original hand painted cameo (as opposed to a transfer) by artist Jen-Honore Fragonard. The only thing is I am not 100% sure about any of this, so I wondered if anyone with a little more experience of Fragonard brooches might be able to shed some light on this for me.
Does the signature look right for example (does it even say Fragonard?). I am confused on the signature because it appears to have the initials 'b t' which would not be right for Jean-Honore.
Is my assessment of the originality of this painting correct based on the lack of pixelation that you might find on a transfer item?
Any thoughts at all gratefully received.
Thanks,
Stigofthedump
Hi, your sweet brooch is a transfer print of a Fragonard painting, apparently one in his Love Story Series.
If you google Limoges Fragonard Brooch, you will see several examples of different romantic scenes.
The reason you can't read the signature on yours is, interestingly, because the transfer has been applied back to front - as it is an exact mirror image.
Sorry for the disappointment but porcelain transfer copies of famous paintings were sold in the early seventies though craft supply catalogs for people to buy and set in homemade or purchased frames (See Costume Jewelry 303 by Julia C. Carroll for similar examples). Yours although definitely a transfer print, looks a bit different on the back than most others of that kind. You may want to look into "canvas back or pad back buttons" and if yours is one of those, it could be older. Transfer printing on porcelain has been around for a couple of hundred years, so there may be some good news in store for you. Good luck!
Thanks so much sightseer and davyd286, much appreciated. I think it's hilarious about the transfer being put on back to front and that's why I couldn't make out the signature properly, how funny! great advice davyd286 on where to look for further research, couldn't have asked for more :) -Thanks again for taking the time to reply.
Stig.