Farthing, William (McKechnie Section 6)

(See Section Three for main entry)

In Section Three I suggest that Farthing produced no profiles himself, but employed Henry Hervé I for this purpose. Farthing's Trade Label No. 2 includes the offer of `Miniatures at Two Guineas upwards'. presumably painted by Hervé. Such work, if seen, would date from c. 1806-07, and would show the sitter in full or three-quarter face.

In Section Three I also mention profiles, bearing Farthing's trade labels, painted on glass in black against a buffish-pink composition background. On 15 December 1975 Sotheby Parke Bernet and Company, London, sold an example painted in this style in reverse: that is, a profile of a man painted (in line and showing the sitter's features) against a buffish-pink base colour, with a black background. This profile. housed in a papier mâché frame, was backed with a fragment of Farthing's Trade Label No. 1, and was therefore painted (probably by Hervé) 1804-06. It is a rare example of profile painting in line on glass. On neither of Farthing's known trade labels is this type of work mentioned, and no other examples appear to have been recorded.

Ill. 1528