Georgian & Victorian Portrait Miniature Pendant

A lovely and wistful hand-painted portrait miniature, featuring a c. 1820s Georgian 9k rose gold and pearl brooch converted to a pendant during the late Victorian era and set with a well-painted portrait of an elegantly dressed young lady. From the hairstyle and dress, the miniature could be dated to circa 1880s. The bail is also a victorian creation, as it lacks the cut-down collet setting most often seen in Georgian jewelry. At the time when the portrait was made, the pre-existing Georgian brooch would have been a vintage antique more than half a century old; this suggests that the urge to reuse and cherish the old was an impulse as embraced in 1880 as it is today.