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Secret Faces: Unseen Portrait Miniatures
by:
Emma Rutherford
'Perfection is to imitate the face of mankind,' wrote Nicholas Hilliard in his treatise on painting portrait miniatures. He was well within his rights to champion his chosen art, as Gloriana herself, Queen Elizabeth I of England chose him to portray her in miniature from 1572 until her death in 1603.
Hilliard is a name synonymous with the exquisite jewel-like portrait miniatures he painted of the sixteenth century English court. At the time, he would have been called a 'limner', a word deriving from the Latin luminare, meaning to illuminate. Portrait miniatures evolved not from oil painting, but from manuscript illumination. The word 'miniature' actually came from the Latin minium, meaning the red lead pigment used in manuscripts and was not a reference to the size of the painting.
Contrary to popular belief, portrait miniatures are not simply small oil paintings, but have their own unique qualities following the tradition of manuscript illumination. A portrait miniature can be defined by its materials, which initially were the same as for manuscripts, namely watercolour applied to vellum. From the early eighteenth century, portrait miniatures began to be painted in watercolour on ivory. An example by John Smart demonstrates the remarkable effect of luminosity.
Another distinctive feature of the portrait miniature was that it was often painted from life, with less flattery and pomposity than the oil portraits hanging in the public rooms for all to see, which makes them an invaluable historical record.
The portrait of Elizabeth I painted circa 1595 when the Queen was sixty-one, falls into a period when the childless monarch was obliged to present an image of herself as ever youthful, even in a tiny portrait miniature. Hilliard hints at her sunken cheeks and her mouth missing teeth, but puts his full energy into describing her wealth and status. Each tiny jewel is made of resin, topped with burnished silver; the magnificent ruff is described in thick paint; the gold of her bodice is gleaming from this hand-held gem. Earlier in his career, Hilliard painted the youthful queen full of virginal promise; in this portrait he conveys her enduring power.
Miniatures were private and intimate pictures for a few chosen viewers, or sometimes even intended only for the painter, giver and receiver to see. We know that Elizabeth I kept her miniatures, including portraits of her court favourites, in her inner-most private chamber, to contemplate when she was alone.
Many portrait miniatures hold an erotic charge, as they draw the viewer into a secret world. They could be worn clandestinely, close to the body and out of sight. Lord Herbert of Cherbury (1583-1648) enjoyed the fact that his miniature was worn by his married lover 'about her neck so low that she hid it in her breasts.'
In late sixteenth century England, miniature painting was considered the highest form of painting, far above easel painting, which was lumped with the work of mere decorators. Although the majority of miniatures consisted of portraits, occasionally the artists depicted religious or mythological subjects.
The brilliant Peter Oliver was employed by Charles I to paint miniatures after the masters in his painting collection, so they could be displayed in his cabinet room along with his collection of 'curiosities'. The exquisite portrait of Mary Magdalene, which originally belonged to a member of the court of Charles I, demonstrates Oliver's skill in reducing a complicated composition in a painting less than three inches high.
The position of miniatures in the genre of portrait painting remained, as Hilliard had written, 'a thing apart from all other painting' and they were still very much utilised as political tools or amorous gifts. One can imagine that Mr Russell carried this portrait of his beautiful young wife close to his heart in his waistcoat pocket, for it is still in its shagreen travelling case.
The arrival of portrait photography signalled the beginning of the end for the portrait miniature. In its heyday, it was a major art form that changed lives, recorded and shaped history in a unique way. |
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