Portraiture Miniatures: Tiny Treasures Close to Our Hearts

Portraiture miniatures-often hidden away in protective glass cabinets-you might just walk past what are exquisite, painted tokens of love or diplomacy, displaying extraordinary skill. Like this dashing Elizabethan lovestruck man, they are often steeped in mystery….

Nicholas Hilliard, Unknown Man Against a Background of Flames, c 1600, V&A

Intimate and oh so private, this man wears nothing more than an undershirt almost open to the waist, holding what must surely be another miniature, probably of his lover. The message is clear: the love they share is on fire! He stands against a background of flames. A private passion for her eyes only! But who might they be?

Early 19th century eye miniature by unknown artist set in twenty seed pearls and tiny diamonds as tears

The most intense and intimate of portrait miniatures were eye miniatures- the notion of the eye always looking at you, the window to your soul and to your love. Eye miniatures were a brief anomaly in miniature painting which came into fashion at the end of the 18th century. They were an extremely intense manifestation of what was already a highly emotionally charged art form

‘Miniatures:Tiny Treasures Close to Our Hearts’ is available as a longer lecture. Please contact me for more information