Mrs Margaret Roper

It is difficult to distinguish between the miniatures of brothers Abraham and Joseph Daniel, who both at times worked in Bath and rarely signed their works. They came from a Jewish family in Somerset and are believed to have learned to paint from their mother. They appear to have set up in opposition to each other and both advertised as ‘Daniel of Bath’ from separate addresses in the city. There is an overall similarity in the brothers’ styles, with the predominant use of sepia tones, large, wide eyes with a distinct dot of opaque white on the pupil and greyish-buff backgrounds.

In addition to their work as miniaturists, both brothers worked as jewellers and engravers. Abraham Daniel worked between Plymouth and Bath, while Joseph exhibited from addresses in Bristol, Bath and occasionally London. Of the two, Joseph is considered the slightly more gifted of the brothers. His miniatures show more ambitious attempts to capture the character of his sitters than those of his brother.

The prominent bonnet worn by the sitter, identified as Mrs Margaret Roper, immediately marks her as a follower of fashion and helps to date this miniature to around 1795. The artist has chosen to limit the palette to almost grisaille (grey/monochromatic) tones through the choice of clothing. The black coat and muslin shawl contrast with the rather frivolous straw bonnet and white ribbon. The extremely limited, brownish palette and the rather flat appearance of the face suggest that this miniature is more likely to be by Abraham rather than Joseph Daniel.