Name/Title
Miniature PortraitContext
This miniature in watercolor on ivory depicts the three-quarter profile of a military in uniform. The identity of the man in this miniature is unclear. However, the dress worn by the subject is sometimes helpful to establish the sitter’s identity.
A decoration badge of the National Order of the Legion of Honor (French : “Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur”) appears on the left side of the man’s chest. It can be recognized by a five-pointed star shape, with each point doubled. This decoration is the highest order of merit, both miliary and civil, in France. Established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, it has been retained by all later French regimes and governments. As this distinction was very common among generals of Napoleon’s army, it is very likely that the sitter in this miniature was a French military leader that served during the Napoleonic wars.
Signed at the lower right “Bordes”, it is very likely that the author of this portrait is the French miniaturist painter Joseph Bordes (1773-1835). As a student of the renowned miniaturist Jean-Baptiste Isabey (1767-1855) he was introduced to the art of small-portraiture. Bordes exhibited between 1808 and 1835 at the Paris Salon.
The frame and back of the pendant are in pressed horn with a brass hanging ring at the top.Acquisition
Accession
2000.01Source or Donor
Robert E. and Millicent Louise McDonaldAcquisition Method
Gift