A pair of miniatures by Jean-Etienne Liotard (1702-1789) showing the Jacobite princes are being offered for sale by New York based dealer Tomasso Brothers Fine Art.
The pieces carry a combined asking price of $337,249 ahead of their appearance at TEFAF 2015 art showcase in Maastricht, Holland on March 13-22.
 Charles Stuart (on the right) attempted to reclaim the English throne in 1745 but was crushed at Culloden |
Liotard was an accomplished painter who enjoyed considerable success in his own lifetime. Born in Geneva, he travelled throughout Europe painting portraits of members of the various royal and noble houses.
The paintings depict Princes Charles and Henry, sons of James Edward Stuart (aka the Old Pretender), who was living under exile in Rome.
Charles is known to history as Bonnie Prince Charlie, the leader of the ill-fated Jacobite Rebellion in 1745.
Dino Tomasso, a director of the gallery, commented: "We are delighted to be exhibiting two masterpieces by the highly esteemed Jean-Etienne Liotard.
"This exquisite pair of miniatures is unrivalled amongst Liotard's Stuart portraits in terms of their quality, and the fact that they are executed on vellum strongly suggests that they were his primary portraits of the young princes."
Miniatures featuring well known figures from history regularly attract major sums at auction. A portrait of Mozart sold for $342,500 at Sotheby's earlier this year.
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