Spornberg, Jacob

Introduction:

Jacob Spornberg painted a number of profiles on glass. However, he is most well known for a number of outstanding profiles which are painted in the ‘Etruscan manner’. Uniquely, these were painted in a strong red base colour against a black background. The Etruscan style profiles are the ones he promoted in his known advertisements.

Born in Finland, Spornberg later settled in England. Signatures on the reverse of Spornberg’s profiles place him in Bath, and indeed a known signed profile on glass backed with orange paper is in the style typical of Bath artists of the 1790s. His profiles are known to have been framed in oval hammered brass, and typical signatures are, for example ‘Spornberg fecit, No. 22, Orange Grove, Bath’.

There are known examples of profiles by Spornberg painted in black on the back of flat glass. Many are also painted in the Etruscan style on glass, which comprises red profiles on a black background, or in their reverse, the Anti-Etruscan style. As well as this there are known profiles painted en grisailles on ivory and also on card. Mr J.A Pollak owns a silhouette by Spornberg in black on flat glass. The face is solid black, and a needle has been used to show the detail of the hair. There is no bust-line termination. Today Spornberg is very well regarded by silhouette collectors, for his keen attention to detail and his uniquely skilful appropriation of the Etruscan style.