Rosenberg, Charles (McKechnie Section 6)

See Section Three for main entry

One profile, painted on ivory in a pseudo-‘cameo’ style and bearing Trade Label No. 9, is known (it is in my collection). It is a poor example of its type — too poor, in my view, to be attributable to the artist’s son, Thomas Elliott Rosenberg, a miniaturist of some merit who may have painted some of the better silhouettes which were produced at this period (c. 1812) and which bore Charles Rosenberg’s trade labels. It was probably painted by way of competition with other Bath artists, who were offering similar work at this time.

The sitter is Rear-Admiral Christie, who is listed (as ‘Admiral Christie’) by Bath directories at 11 Belmont, Bath, 1811-20. His features are painted in poor line work in pale umber; his frock is painted in a pale shade of burnt sienna, the outlines of the collar and buttons being shown by darker lines of the same pigment. There is no bust-line termination, and the profile is painted against a dark grey-black background.

Ill. 1564