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Portrait miniatures were popular from the mid-16th century until the advent
of photography in the 1800s. Their cost kept them in the province of the rich
and famous and they are now valuable collectibles. The artists who painted them
were not those whose names most of us recognize, but they were well-known in the
palaces of royal families, as well as in the salons of people whose likenesses
they drew.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the name "miniature"
derived from the word "minimum" the red lead used for rubrication by medieval
illustrators. In the 16th and 17th centuries, they were known as "limmings." The
revival of two other mediums the medal and the illuminist manuscript also
smoothed the way for this new art form.
The earliest portrait miniatures are
French in origin. Jean Clouet and his son, Francis, were among the early artists
who painted them. The first miniatures in England are believed to be the work of
Lucas Horenbout, who became the teacher of another artist, Hans Holbein. The
Britannica calls Holbein's Mrs. Pemberton "the finest miniature ever painted."
It's now in England's Victoria and Albert Museum.
Like other art forms, the
miniature evolved over time. The oval form is credited to Nicholas Hilliard.
Another development, which occurred in the 17th century, was the introduction of
ivory as a painting surface. Ivory provided a luminous effect that vellum or
card lacked. Ivory was later to give way to enamel, which was the popular
surface on the continent during the 18th century.
Consider the technical
expertise required to create a miniature by this example: The Painter's Family
included two adults and one child in a 3-1/2" by 4-1/2" oval frame. Peter Adolph
Hall, a Swedish artist living in Paris, created it in 1766. Hall was the leading
miniaturist in France until the Revolution.
By the late 18th century,
American artists had taken up miniature painting. One was the well-known John
Singleton Copley. Henry Inman, another noted American artist, did miniatures of
a number of famous Americans, including Audubon and VanBuren. Others were John
Carlin, Mrs. Moses B. Russell and Thomas Seir Cummings. Contemporary artists are
also engaged in painting them.
Perhaps the most famous miniaturist ever was
the French artist, Jean Baptiste Jacques Augustin. In 2000, Augustin's 1791
miniature, Portrait of a Young Lady, sold at a Christie's auction for what would
be $89,197 in American currency.
With the advent of photography, the painting
of minatures diminished. However, miniatures dioramas, books, doll-house
furniture, toy soldiers and many other items are popular collectibles today.
FRAMES FOR MINIATURES
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As one might expect, the frames required for these small gems of art had to
be as special as the paintings themselves. The earliest frames were oval in
shape and fashioned from 24K gold, but as time went on more decorations were
added.
Curved glass lenses, beveled outer ridges, heart-shaped frames set
with diamonds and frames made with rose or pink gold offered variety. Also, if
the miniature was to be worn as jewelry, the frame required a device to hold the
chain or choker.
Another interesting addition to the frame: some were
fashioned with back apertures in which a lock of the sitter's hair or some other
tiny personal item might be placed.
The Wiebold Company in Terrace Park,
Ohio, specializes in making frames for miniature paintings and in repairing
antique frames. The company's Internet site documents their history.
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Portrait miniature by the American artist Henry Inman.
Portrait of a Young Lady, by Jean Baptiste Jacques Augustin.
Portrait miniature by the American artist John Singleton Copley.
Mrs. Pemberton, by Hans Holbein. |