Miers, John (McKechnie Section 5)

See Section Four for main entry

In this entry we are concerned with silhouettes painted on ivory for jewellery setting. An enormous number of these, signed `Miers', exist; most examples painted after c. 1794, however, whether black or bronzed, are by John Field.

The earliest known record of Miers's jewellery work is an advertisement published in a Newcastle newspaper on 1 September 1783. Miers's work of the mid-1780s, which is rarely signed, closely resembles his work on plaster (see Section Four), bearing Trade Labels Nos 6-9. Finer signed work, produced 1788-91, resembles that described in Section Four bearing Trade Label No. 10. Examples of 'X' work, similar to those described in Section Four (Trade Label No. 11), have also been seen.

1500, 1506, 1507

Other examples (the great majority), by John Field, resemble work by Field described in the entry on

Miers in Section Four (Trade Labels Nos 11 and 12). A few later black silhouettes, required as

`repeats', may have been painted by John Miers himself. Any bronzed examples, signed `Miers', are

by John Field.

To judge from the sitters' costume, the earliest bronzed silhouettes produced at John Miers's studio at 111 Strand were probably those painted on ivory, not those painted on plaster. These small ivory pieces are of extremely fine quality.

Five of Miers's trade labels (Nos 9a and b and 16-18) were used mainly for jewellery work. These may be seen on boxes or cases made for jewellery pieces produced by Miers both before and after he had began work in London. In fact, since Miers traded as a jeweller, probably far more of his jewellery trade labels were used on boxes manufactured for pieces of standard jewellery than for jewellery settings of silhouettes; this may account for their scarcity today.

Signatures are of more importance than trade labels where Miers's jewellery settings of silhouettes are concerned. Some variants in the formation of the name Miers are illustrated. The placing of the name is also important. Miers signed his profiles further away from the sharp point terminating the back of the bust-line than did Field, who signed examples which he had painted closer to the characteristic dip at the back of the bust-line.

1375, 1376

It will be seen from the photo-

graphs that the 'r' of `Miers' differs especially in the hand of each artist. On 'X' work the name Miers is written much in the style of Field, but it is not placed so close to the blunter termination at the back of the profile.

Ills. 53, 57, 58, 62, 64, 67, 70, 77, 1496-1507