Portrait miniature

Uncommon card · No. 126126

A portrait miniature is a miniature portrait painting in a genre that arose from Renaissance art, often executed in gouache, watercolour, or enamel. Portrait miniatures developed out of the techniques of miniature detailing in illuminated manuscripts, and became popular among 16th-century elites, mainly in England and France. The genre spread across the rest of Europe from the middle of the 18th century, remaining highly popular until the development of daguerreotypes and photography in the mid-19th century. They were usually intimate gifts given within the family, or by hopeful males in courtship, but some rulers, such as King James I of England, gave large numbers as diplomatic or political gifts. They were often painted when a family member was going to be absent for a significant period, whether a husband or son going to war, a loved one emigrating, or a daughter getting married. The first miniaturists used watercolour to paint on stretched vellum, or (especially in England) on playing...

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