MINIATURES

I THINK THAT MINIATURES ARE A FASCINATING CONCEPT IN TERMS OF DISPLAY AND IMAGE, BECAUSE BY THEIR VERY NATURE THE ARE OBJECTS THAT SHOULD BE ADMIRED AND CHERISHED AND SO THEREFORE HAVE A PERSONAL ATTACHMENT TO THE OWNER AND AND INTEREST TO PEOPLE WHO DON'T OWN THEM.

THIS IS A LINK FROM THE VNA ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF PORTRAIT MINIATURES:

http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/paintings/miniatures/miniatures/index.html

TWO OF THE EARLIEST PORTRAIT ARTISTS WERE:

JEAN CLOUET

AND

LUCAS HORENBOUT

(THIS IS CATHRINE OF ARAGON)

NICOLA HILLIARD WENT ON TO PAINT THE ROYAL FAMILY AT THE TIME, INCLUDING ELIZABETH THE 1ST. IT WAS HE WHO REALLY ESTABLISHED THE MINIATURE AS A FIXTURE IN ENGLISH CULTURE,

I LIKE MINIATURES FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. I LIKE THE IDEA THAT THEY WERE SOME SORT OF MOMENTO FOR THE PERSON THAT OWNED THEM, AND WERE THEREFORE QUITE A PERSONAL REPRESENTATION OF THAT PERSON. I ALSO REALLY LIKE THE SCALE - OBVIOUSLY MINIATURE BUT THEY AGAIN GIVE THE FEELING OF BEING INVOLVED IN THE SCENE. I ALSO LIKE THE SHAPES THEY CAME IN, ALL BEING SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT DEPENDING ON THE PERSON OR PAINTER BUT BEING DIFFERENT FROM LARGE PAINTINGS WHICH ALWAYS RELY ON THE STANDARD RECTANGLE FORMAT.

THESE ARE SOME RATHER HILAREOUS 'MODERN' (90's) PORTRAITS WHICH I ACTUALLY SECRETLY LOVE!

http://www.enamelportraitminiatures.co.uk/epm001gallery1.asp