A Macaroni

A gold and watercolour portrait miniature ring from the latter part of the 18th century, of a Macaroni. A Macaroni was a fop or dandy with an extravagant hairstyle and affected mannerisms. The term referred to those wealthy young men who emulated the elaborate style of dress they had seen on a Grand Tour of Europe. They sported gaudy shoes, striped stockings, fancy walking sticks and most recognisably, extravagant wigs. Humorous depictions showed macaroni men wearing giant wigs heavily powdered with pomatum, curled and in pigtails, the wigs almost as tall as the men themselves. The sumptuousness of the Macaronis’ hairstyle spoke of their embrace of artifice, decadence and the pursuit of pleasure. With their self idolatry and extravagance the Macaroni  became associated with absurd affectation, the phenomena ripe for caricature and and the subject of many satirical prints at the time. This Macaroni is depicted in a powdered wig with elaborate curls and a long pigtail. He wears a silk jacket with lace jabot and his eyes are decorated with blue eye liner. The ring is size P [US 7 and 1/2 ] and the head of the ring measures 1 and 1/8 inches by 3/4 of an inch. Very fine execution of an unsual subject – the portrait miniature as social commentary.

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