(Thomas TRUXTUN) A lovely Battersea enameled porcelain and brass-rimmed curtain tie back, 50 mm. (1 7/8 in.) diam., c. 1795-1820 featuring a hand-painted transfer-print bust portrait of a naval officer. Titled along the edge: “Com.re TRUXTON [sic].” Enamel affixed to a 63mm. (2 1/2 in.) shaft with screw threads at the end.

Truxtun (1755-1822) was best known for his service during the Quasi War with France, earning fame for his defeat of the French ships l’Insurgente and Vengeance while commanding the U.S.S. Constellation. Truxtun’s exploits earned him a Congressional Gold Medal. The artists who produced these did not have access to a portrait of Truxton. Assuming Americans didn’t either, they simply used a portrait of Nelson assuming no one would be the wiser!

Battersea enamels first came into vogue among the well-heeled of Europe in the mid-eighteenth century. Produced in England, the enamels began with a thin copper base coated with a ground glass mixture that became clear with firing. It was then overpainted. The form was best suited to convex surfaces and was used to decorate small boxes and other decorative pieces. Battersea enamels remained in fashion into the 1840s.

A pair of horizontal surface cracks do not detract from this vividly colorful portrait, some minor blemishing and a slight dent at top of brass rim, else in great condition.

(EXA 5094) $1,500.00