c. 1800 Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson (1758-1805) Polychrome Painted Wax High Relief Portrait mounted on black velvet in a gilt beaded wood shadow box frame, Very Fine.
A finely crafted, richly colored Polychrome Painted Wax Relief Portrait of Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson (1758-1805). It depicts the great British naval hero in right-facing bust, wearing his dark blue navy coat with gold epaulettes and gold lace trim. There is a red sash across his chest, and the large Star emblem of one of his orders of chivalry at his breast, his powdered hair dressed in the fashion of the period. Old prior owner’s sticker on the blank reverse along with a replaced top loop.Wax relief portraits of this type were among the most fashionable and collectible commemorative objects of the Regency period. Tribute and memorial produced in following Nelson's death at the Battle of Trafalgar on October 21, 1805. That event transformed Nelson instantaneously into the greatest British naval hero in history. This example is of fine quality, the modeling of the face, hair, and his uniform are accomplished with considerable skill and the polychrome painting well preserved. Shown mounted on its original black velvet ground within a handsome gilt beaded period shadow box frame.