19th-Century German Hand Painted Marble Plaque Portrait of Boy Smoking

Details

Description

19th-Century German Hand Painted Marble Plaque Portrait

"Piccolo" (Italian Boy Smoking)

Oil on oval marble plaque

After Eugene von Blass … Read more 19th-Century German Hand Painted Marble Plaque Portrait

"Piccolo" (Italian Boy Smoking)

Oil on oval marble plaque

After Eugene von Blass (E.V. Blass) | Signed and inscribed verso

Dimensions:

4.75"H × 3.75"W (12 × 9.5 cm)

Description:

This finely rendered miniature portrait depicts a young Italian boy in mid-19th-century dress, captured smoking. The work features:

- Intricate oil technique on polished marble support

- Inscribed title "Piccolo" and attribution "after E.V. Blass" verso

- Original period box labeled "Italian boy"

Condition:

- Very good antique condition

- Stable surface with minor age

-Requires separate stand or backing (not free-standing)

Provenance:

- German workshop production, circa 1870-1900

- "Made in Germany" stamp verso indicates post-1887 origin

Notes:

A rare surviving example of 19th-century European marble plaque painting, demonstrating the intersection of academic art and commercial decorative arts. The intimate scale suggests private display in a cabinet or salon setting. See less