Antique 1836 Silhouette Pair Reverse Glass Painting Darling Thompson Family Art For Sale

Antique Silhouette Pair 1836 Governor Ralph Darling & Thompson Family History
Featuring the Families of Governor Sir Ralph Darling & The Thompson Family
Overview:
Magnificent, highly collectible matching pair of authentic 19th-century convex reverse glass painted silhouettes (Verre Églomisé).
Dated precisely to 1836, these \"conversation pieces\" offer a rare, documented glimpse into British colonial high society and genealogy.
About 7\" wide x 5.5\" high.
Historical Provenance Overview:
Piece 1: Titled \"Amelia and Caroline – Darling 1836\". This historical piece depicts the daughters of General Sir Ralph Darling (1772–1858), the famous British army officer and controversial Governor of New South Wales, Australia (1825–1831). The scene beautifully captures the young girls arranging flowers at a tripod table.
Piece 2: Titled \"The Thompson Family\". A stunning companion scene showing a gentleman and lady in formal Regency/early Victorian attire sharing tea at a matchingtripod pedestal tea table, showcasing an intricate period tea service— including a samovar/teapot, sugar bowl, cream pitcher, and teacups.
Historical Provenance Details:
This pair of silhouettes is deeply tied to British colonial history and the social elite of the 1830s.

• The Darling Family Connection: The label \"Amelia and Caroline – Darling 1836\" identifies the children of General Sir Ralph Darling, a prominent British army officer who served as the Governor of New South Wales, Australia from 1825 to 1831. Upon returning to England, his family remained high-profile figures in high society. Amelia and Caroline were his daughters, born during his colonial service years.
• The Thompson Family Connection: During the 19th century, it was highly customary to commission matching \"conversation pieces\" to commemorate marriages, deep family friendships, or close political alliances. The Thompson family refers to a contemporary upper-class family closely linked to the Darlings through marriage or high-society networks.
• Artistic Production: The year 1836 falls precisely during the golden era of conversation silhouettes. The specific style of identifying subjects with clear labels at the bottom was popularized by master silhouettists of the era like Auguste Edouart, who often documented prominent British and American families. These are high-quality reverse paintings on glass (verre églomisé), meaning the black silhouette detail and gold borders were intricately hand-painted backwards directly onto the rear side of the glass plate.

Historical & Market ContextThese \"conversation piece\" family silhouettes were highly fashionable among the British upper class and wealthy colonial families during the 1830s and 1840s. Because these depict named families (\"The Thompson Family\" and \"Amelia and Caroline - Darling 1836\"), they were likely commissioned to commemorate specific households or social ties between families.On the open market, matching pairs of 19th-century reverse-glass silhouettes retain significantly higher collector appeal and value than isolated individual pieces.Artistic & Framing Details:Medium: True reverse painting on glass (Verre Églomisé style), featuring hand-painted black silhouettes and elegant gold geometric border highlights executed directly onto the reverse side of the glass plate.
Frames: Housed in their matching, original 19th-century ebonized black wooden frames with stylized linear moldings and gold inner liners. The identical size and design of the black-and-gold ebonized wooden frame with geometric molding seen on both pieces confirms they were produced, framed, and preserved together as a thematic set for the families.
Backing: Features authentic, naturally aged heavy brown dust-cover backing paper with period-correct small screw-eyes and twisted wire hangers, indicating they have been kept together as an intact set for well over a century. Again, the match between the backing of the pieces further confirms they were produced as a pair.
Condition Report:
Both pieces are in remarkable antique condition given their age. The reverse glass paint remains crisp and stable with minimal lifting. The original ebonized frames show light, honest age-related wear, chips (especially in corners) and patina to the wood surfaces which reinforces their authenticity. The backing paper shows minor expected tears/wear from age but remains structurally sound. (Please review all high-resolution photos carefully as they form part of the condition description).
Don\'t miss the chance to add this rare, historically documented pair with premier colonial family ties to your antique historical art collection!