A small gold and enamel snuff box, English, circa 1735-40

While we do not know the identity of the young woman in this portrait, the enamel was likely painted by English portrait miniaturist William Prewett. Born in Suffolk, Prewett was the student of renowned Dresden portraitist Christian Friedrich Zincke. He was active between 1730 and 1750. Other portraits attributed to Prewett belong to the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum (LOAN:GILBERT.275:1 to 3-2008), as well as the Royal Collection (RCIN 421949).

Enamel miniatures were first fashionable in Continental Europe but were particularly in vogue in Britain from the 1720s to 1760s. Unlike many enamels mounted in gold boxes, the portraits were painted ad vivum, rather than from original pieces in other media. Sarah Coffin hypothesises that this practice came from the elision of English preference and continental technique. While the clothing is less feminine than that which Prewett’s female subjects were typically shown in, her exposed brown hair, the cut of her blue jacket and her slightly pursed, rosebud shaped lips are all in keeping with Prewett’s female subjects. For more information on English portrait miniatures, see: Sarah Coffin and Bodo Hofstetter, Portrait Miniatures in Enamel, London, 2000, p. 31.