Portrait miniature
A portrait miniature is a miniature
The first miniaturists used watercolour to paint on stretched
Early period
The portrait miniature developed from the
France also had a strong tradition of miniatures, centred on the court, although this came to concentrate in the mid-16th century on larger images, about the range of sizes of the modern paperback book, which might not qualify as miniatures in the usual sense. These might be paintings, or finished drawings with some colour, and were produced by François Clouet (c. 1510 – 1572), and his followers.
The earliest French miniature painters were Jean Clouet (died c. 1540), his son François Clouet, Jean Perréal and others; but of their work in portraiture we have little trace at the present day, although there are many portraits and a vast number of drawings attributed to them. The seven portraits in the Manuscript of the Gallic War (Bibliothèque Nationale) are assigned to the eider Clouet; and to them may be added a fine work, in the Pierpont Morgan collection, representing the Marschal de Brissac. Following these men we find Simon Renard de St. André (1613–1677), and Jean Cotelle. Others whose names might be mentioned were Joseph Werner (1637–1710), and Rosalba Carriera (1675–1757).
The first famous native English portrait miniaturist is
Isaac Oliver and his son Peter Oliver succeeded Hilliard. Isaac (c. 1560–1617) was the pupil of Hilliard. Peter (1594–1647) was the pupil of Isaac. The two men were the earliest to give roundness and form to the faces they painted. They signed their best works in monogram, and painted not only very small miniatures, but larger ones measuring as much as 10 in × 9 in (250 mm × 230 mm). They copied for Charles I of England (1600–1649) on a small scale many of his famous pictures by the old masters.
Other miniaturists at about the same date included
Samuel Cooper (1609–1672) was a nephew and student of the elder Hoskins, and is considered the greatest English portrait miniaturist. He spent much of his time in Paris and Holland, and very little is known of his career. His work has a superb breadth and dignity, and has been well called life-size work in little. His portraits of the men of the Puritan epoch are remarkable for their truth to life and strength of handling. He painted upon card, chicken skin and vellum, and on two occasions upon thin pieces of mutton bone. The use of ivory was not introduced until long after his time. His work is frequently signed with his initials, generally in gold, and very often with the addition of the date.
Other miniaturists of this period include
On 28 April 1733,
Peak period, by country
Denmark
In Denmark, Cornelius Høyer specialized in miniature painting (often 40 mm × 30 mm or approximately 1-1.5 inches, or in many case, oval or round in shape) in the second half of the 18th century and was appointed Miniature Painter to the Danish Court in 1769. He also worked at several other European courts and won a considerable international reputation.[10] He was succeeded by Christian Horneman as Denmark's premier proponent of the special trade of miniature portraits. Among his most known works are a portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven from 1802 of which Beethoven was particularly fond—possibly because it presents him to a more handsome appearance than most other portraits.[11]
England
The 18th century produced a great number of miniature painters, of whom Richard Cosway (1742–1821) is the most famous. His works are of great beauty, and executed with a dash and brilliance which no other artist equalled. His best work was done about 1799. His portraits are generally on ivory, although occasionally he worked on paper or vellum, and he produced a great many full-length pencil drawings on paper, in which he slightly tinted the faces and hands, and these he called "stayned drawings".[12] Cosway's finest miniatures are signed on the back; there is but one genuine signed on the face; very few bear even his initials on the front.
George Engleheart (1750–1829) painted 4,900 miniatures; it is often signed E or G.E. Andrew Plimer (1763–1837) was a pupil of Cosway, and both he and his brother Nathaniel Plimer produced some lovely portraits. The brightness of the eyes, wiriness of the hair, exuberance of colour, combined with forced chiaroscuro and often very inaccurate drawing, are characteristics of Andrew Plimer's work. John Smart (c. 1740 – 1811) was in some respects the greatest of the 18th-century miniaturists. His work was hailed by contemporaries for his excellence in refinement, power and delicacy; its silky texture and elaborate finish, and the artists love for a brown background.[13] Other notable painters were Richard Crosse (1742–1810), Ozias Humphry (1742–1810), Samuel Shelley (c1750–1808), whose best pictures are groups of two or more persons, Henry Edridge (1769–1821), John Bogle, and Edward Dayes.
Colonial India
The portrait miniature was also used as a tool for notoriety, respect, and promotion especially for the British in
Scotland
Andrew Robertson (b. 1777, d. 1845), his brothers Alexander and Archibald also painters, created a style of miniature portrait, which consisted of slightly larger portrait miniatures measuring 9 in × 7 in (23 cm × 18 cm).[14] Robertson's style became dominant in Britain by the middle of the nineteenth century.[15]
Ireland
Gustavus Hamilton (b. 1739, d. 1775) was instructed by Robert West at the National College of Art and Design in George's Lane, Dublin, and was also an apprentice or pupil of Samuel Dixon of Capel Street, Dublin, where he was employed in colouring the basso-relievo prints of birds and flowers produced by Dixon.[16]
Setting himself up as a miniature painter, he acquired an extensive and fashionable practice, patronized, says John O'Keeffe in his "Recollections", by ladies of the first rank, and making "a power of money by his pencil." From 1765 to 1768 he was living in Parliament Street, Dublin, then at No. 1 Dame Street, Dublin, at the house of Stock the hosier, and afterwards in College Green, Dublin.
He contributed miniatures to the Society of Artists in Dublin from 1765 to 1773. Shortly before his death he moved to Cork Hill, Dublin, and there died on 16 December 1775, aged 36. He was buried on 18 December at St. Werburgh's Church, Dublin.
France
In the 18th century we know of miniatures by
Spain
Portrait miniatures were used in the Spanish court in the late 15th century, beginning with the political alliance between Henry VII of England (r. 1485-1509) and Ferdinand of Aragon (r. 1479-1519). The alliance celebrated the match between Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536) and Prince Arthur of England (1486-1502) with the Treaty of Medina del Campo in 1489. The promise of marriage commenced in the exchange of gifts including jewels and portrait miniatures of the young couple. The popularity of portrait miniatures to commemorate the promise of marriage began to circulate in each court soon after, especially Spain.[2] The tokens of portrait miniatures to commemorate an alliance through marriage were considered extremely intimate and personal to the betrothed couple as well as their families.[1] In Spain as well as the English courts, portrait miniatures were often adorned in jewels or kept in elaborate lockets that could either be concealed or taken out and admired on a whim.[4]
The Spanish painter Francisco Goya (1746-1828) is known to have painted portrait miniatures for mourning and weddings beginning in 1806. The main medium used by Goya was oil but he was also commissioned for pencil miniatures. Between 1824 and 1825, Goya recorded over 40 miniature commissions on ivory while most portrait miniature artists dotted color onto the ivory, Goya shaped the lines of miniatures using water. Goya claimed his shaping technique was innovative and far different from the 'accidental' ink wash technique developed in 1800s England by Alexander Cozens.[17]
Sweden
Anton Ulrik Berndes played an important role in Swedish art at the end of the 18th century and beginning of the 19th. He produced around 600 portrait miniatures, and received commissions ranging from members of the lower bourgeoisie to the royal court.[18]
United States
The English style of portrait miniatures was also exported to the American colonies; among the earliest recorded American miniaturists is
Portrait Miniatures and Mourning in Colonial America
Throughout the course of history, mourners have carried portraits with them to honor loved ones; this practice made its way to
The first miniature portraits documented in Colonial America first appeared in the 1750s and may have appeared before then. These portraits were usually commissioned to remember someone who died suddenly from illness at a young age. The family of a twelve year old named Hannah had a locket commissioned to make her look like she did before she become ill. The locket carried a portrait of the young girl and had angel wings above her with the words "NOT LOST" written on the side.[24] Portraits such as these carried hope and remembrance instead of the stigma of constant sorrow.
Materials and techniques
The earliest miniatures were painted on
Vellum or primed calf-skin was considered an easy alternative to copper in the seventeenth century.[25]
During the 18th century, watercolour on ivory became the standard medium. The use of ivory was first adopted in around 1700, during the latter part of the reign of William III.
Enamel: Portrait miniatures painted on enamel in oil with copper
Mica: Mica is a very thin mineral that can be shaved to transparent pieces also known at the time as 'talc'.[27] The paper thin material could be painted on with oil and placed over the portrait miniature so that the holder of the portrait miniature could dress up the subject or disguise the portrait.
Costume Overlays
Costume overlays were a technique in which artists were commissioned to paint a subject in costume or altered state of dress to hide the identity. Typically the portrait was commissioned with a thin removable overlay made from mica to conceal the identity of the subject.[28] Concealing the identity of a miniature would have been necessary if the subject was an unpopular ruler, potentially causing harm if a person was caught carrying the picture. One such example is painting over a portrait in costume to hide the original portrait. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Department of Costumes and Textiles discovered a series for portrait miniatures from England dating from the 1650s that appear to show the same woman in dress. The woman bore a striking resemblance to English monarch Charles I (1600-1649), who was executed in 1649. The king remained popular with a group of followers after his execution and many found subtle ways to honor the king. This discovery is only a glimpse as to how portrait miniatures could also serve as a way to commemorate loss as well as loyalty.[29]
Displays
A number of museums display miniature original oil paintings including the Museum of Arts in Boston and the Astolat Dollhouse Castle when it is on public display. The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. as well as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London carry a vast number of portrait miniatures among their larger portrait collections, many are also accessible to the public for online viewing.
Exhibitions
- International Biennial of Miniature Art (since 1989), Gornji Milanovac, Serbia
- International Biennial of Miniature Art (since 2000), Częstochowa, Poland
- Annual Royal Miniature Society Exhibition, London, UK
References
- ^ OCLC 39803970.
- ^ OCLC 800674221.
- JSTOR 2928392.
- ^ OCLC 1048934990.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - ^ ISSN 1754-0194.
- National Gallery, London) that is dated 1433.
- .
- ^ Ashton, John (1898). "fire at White's". The history of gambling in England. London: Duckworth & Co. p. 90.
- ^ Propert, John Lumsden (1887). "fire at White's Coffee House". A history of miniature art: with notes on collectors and collections. Macmillan and Company. pp. 78–79.
- ^ "Cornelius Høyer". Gyldendal. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
- ^ "Ludwig Van Beethoven". Art Experts, Inc. Archived from the original on 2010-12-06. Retrieved 2010-08-02.
- .
- .
- .
- ^ "A History of the Portrait Miniature". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- ^ A Dictionary of Irish Artists. Walter G. Strickland. 1913. http://www.libraryireland.com/irishartists/gustavus-hamilton.php
- )
- ^ Asplund, K (1924). "Anton Ulric Berndes". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 4. National Archives of Sweden. p. 9. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ "The Way Sisters: Miniaturists of the Early Republic". Lyman Allen Art Museum. Archived from the original on 2021-07-30. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
- ^ McCormick, Mike (1997). "Amalia Kussner Coudert". Wabash Valley Profiles. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
- ^ Leonard, John W (1908). Who's Who in New York City and State. New York City: Hamersly & Co. p. 326.
- ^ Fowler, Betty Alice (31 May 2002). "An Art in Living". Resource Library Magazine. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
- ^ "Ann Mikolowski". Ann Mikolowski. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
- ^ OCLC 43977811.
- ^ a b "Collecting guide: Portrait miniatures | Christie's". www.christies.com. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
- ^ ISSN 0377-0486.
- ^ "An Unknown woman (Portrait miniature with mica overlays) | V&A Search the Collections". V and A Collections. 2020-05-02. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
- ISSN 2293-7609.
- OCLC 938827788.
Sources
- Coombs, Katherine (1998). The Portrait Miniature in England. London: Victoria and Albert Museum. ISBN 1-85177-207-3.
- Foskett, Daphne (1987). Miniatures: Dictionary and Guide. London: Antique Collectors' Club. ISBN 1-85149-063-9.
- Lounsbery, Elizabeth (January 15, 1917). American Miniature Painters. The Mentor.
- Reynolds, Graham (1999). The Sixteenth and Seventeenth-Century Miniatures in the Collection of Her Majesty the Queen. London: The Royal Collection. ISBN 978-1-90216-345-1.
- Walker, Richard (1992). The Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Century Miniatures in the Collection of Her Majesty the Queen. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-52130-781-9.
External links
- Victoria and Albert Museum, miniatures gallery (archived)
- Artists and Ancestors – A Miniature Portrait Collection
- "The Origin of the Portrait Miniature". Paintings & Drawings. Victoria and Albert Museum. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
- Collecting and Researching Miniature Portraits
- Copy, Fake, and Decorative Miniatures
- Gornji Milanovac International Biennale of the Miniature
- G Engleheart Pinxit 1773–1818 A Practical Guide