World in Miniature

"The eye of Marie-Clémentine, Archduchess of Austria and princess of Salerno (1798-1881)" Artist unknown, French School. Musée Condé, Chantilly.

Miniature painting flourished in the 16th century and until the discovery of the Daguerrotype in the 19th century these tiny and beautiful works of art were incredibly popular. Small and portable, they were an invaluable method of making introductions between people over huge distances, remembering loved ones both dead and alive, and commemorating events such as marriage. As the miniature evolved it was integrated into all manner of objects including rings, bracelets, pendants, snuff boxes and cigarette boxes.

Andrew Robertson (1777-1845)

Miniatures were painted on a variety of surfaces - vellum, chicken skin, ivory, card, enamel - usually with watercolour (but also oil, gouache and enamel) applied in a delicate crosshatch or "pointillist" style. The skill of these artists is exceptional, but miniatures make for beautiful objects covetable for reasons beyond the quality of the painting - the housings were often silver or rose gold and often featured an array of adornments such as diamonds, pearls, written notes or the woven hair of the sitter. They were framed in a variety of styles and the individuality of both the image and the construction of the miniature's housing make looking at and collecting them a true pleasure.

Clarissa Peters (1809-1854)
Some information on Clarissa Peters

Miniatures are also a relatively inexpensive way to begin collecting art with reasonable quality examples available in the low hundreds.

Don has a fantastic blog on miniatures called Artists and Ancestors - Miniature Portrait Art Collection. He runs various subsites that house a breathtaking collection of miniatures - American 1, American 2, American 3, 20th Century American, British 1, British 2, 20th Century British, European 1, European 2, French and Guest Gallery. It is an exceptional resource and well worth taking the time to explore.

I have omitted the titles of these works, miniature titles tend to be long florid descriptions of sitter and nothing more.

Jean-Baptiste Isabey (1767-1855)

Jean-Baptiste Isabey (1767-1855)

Isabey was one of the greatest French miniature painters, he painted Napoleon and his court and produced the greatest likeness of Napoleon in his work "Napoleon at Malmaison." His miniatures sell today for $30-40,000.



Emanuel Thomas Peter (1799-1873)


Marie-Gabrielle Capet (1761-1818)
Biography of Capet


Jean-Antoine Laurent (1763-1832)


Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Duchesne (1770-1856)


Guiseppe Tresca (d.1816)


Johann Zoffany (1733-1810.) Thought to be a self portrait.
Biography of Zoffany at Wikipedia.

"The eye of Marie-Caroline-Auguste of Bourbon-Siciles, Princess of Salerno, Duchess of Amale (1822-1869)" Artist unknown, French School. Musée Condé, Chantilly.


William Bishop Ford (19th century)


Mihaly Von Zichy (1827-1906)
Biography

Pierre Paul Emmanuel De Pommayrac (1810-1880)


Peter Oliver (1589-1647.) This is a self portrait.
Biography


Anne Hayter (b.1814-?)



John Jukes (1777-1851)



Frédéric Millet (1786-1859)
Another of his miniatures in the Queen's collection


Moritz Daffinger (1790-1849)

Moritz Daffinger (1790-1849)


Patrizius Kittner (1809-1900)



Josué Dollfus (1796-1887)