Georgian Miniature Gentlemans Lovers Eye In Gold Locket

The idea of using a part of the body to stand for the whole as a way of hiding a lover's identity has a History in English Miniature painting. The vogue for detailing an eye as a token - perhaps an illicit affair- took hold in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries .

As a gift an eye Miniature was always to remain a secret, from one lover to another. The most famous such miniature is Mrs. Fitzherberts eye painted by Cosway for the Prince of Wales. Although they later parted, it was a love which endured. Upon his death in 1830 he was found to be wearing a locket with Mrs. Fitzherberts eye around his neck.

These are becoming as scarce as hens teeth and twice as expensive. I purchased a small collection and so my price is the best for the quality anywhere