Although unsigned, this American miniature portrait has been attributed to Richard Verbryck (Richard Verbrick)(Richard Verbrike) (1783-1867) and was probably painted around 1835.
In his younger days Verbryck was a cabinetmaker, afterwards a sailor and ships carpenter, until he commence painting portraits when he was about 33, see1879 Menard & Mason Counties--AW VER BRYCK
Verbryck married Elizabeth Whitenack (1808-1861) in Warren Ohio on 19 Feb 1844 when he was 60 and she was only 35. They had two sons, Richard and Abraham. In the 1850 census he called himself a miniature painter and disclosed assets of $2000. In the 1860 census Verbryck is living in Franklin, Indiana and states his place of birth as New Jersey. He gives his occupation as painter and discloses assets of $5,700. He widened his painting beyond just miniatures, and so was able to accumulate more assets at a time when photography was making inroads.
In 1853 he won prizes for Best Animal painting and Best Fruit painting at the Warren County Fair, see1853 Warren County Fair from Western Star 30 Sep 1853
The reasons for the attribution are the similarity of pose with the portrait of a lady by Verbryck on page 311 of Aronson and Wieseman. The way the costume is painted is strikingly similar and both ladies are wearing almost identically painted gold brooches.
The way the face is painted in this example is a little more life-like, more like that of a man by Verbryck, fig 1 on page 312 which was painted in 1836 with the way the mouth and eyes are painted are very similar in all three examples.
The sitter is unknown. 741
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