Name/Title
American portrait miniatures in the Manney collectionEntry/Object ID
ND1337.U5.J6Description
"Miniature portraits of family members and sweethearts were valued possessions before the advent of photography. They were as highly prized as full-size portraits in oil, and frequently they took as long to produce. Miniatures were meticulously painted in watercolor on ivory, a difficult medium that demanded considerable technical mastery. When completed they were set in decorative cases that enabled them to be worn as jewelry or placed on display. The American tradition of miniature painting, like that of full-size portraiture, was adapted from European models, particularly English painting of the Rococo period. However, portraits painted in this country emphasize the individuality of the sitter with a penetrating realism that is characteristically American."Context
Published on the occasion of the exhibition "Tokens of affection : the portrait miniature in America," Nov. 20, 1990-Feb. 10, 1991.Acquisition
Source (if not Accessioned)
Carolyn HahnNotes
Gift of Carolyn Hahn, August 2022.Lexicon
Search Terms
costume--united states--history, painting--exhibitions, portrait miniatures--united states, portrait painting--united statesLegacy Lexicon
Category
Exhibition catalogBook Details
Author
Dale T. JohnsonPublisher
Metropolitan Museum of ArtDate Published
1990ISBN
0870995987Notes
Length: 271