AN ANTIQUE MINIATURE PORTRAIT AND DIAMOND PENDANT/BROOCH, CIRCA 1880

Set with two heart-shaped miniatures, each of a girl, within an openwork surround of rose-cut diamonds and suspending a...

AN ANTIQUE MINIATURE PORTRAIT AND DIAMOND PENDANT/BROOCH, CIRCA 1880

Set with two heart-shaped miniatures, each of a girl, within an openwork surround of rose-cut diamonds and suspending a small pearl, mounted in silver and gold, inscribed on the reverse 'Victoire née le 18 decembre 1888' & 'Marie née le 18 decembre 1888', length 4.7cm, width 4.3cm

Miniatures by the nature of their size, objects held within the palm of the hand, were originally created as personal mementos of important occasions such as marriage, births or deaths. Their value resided in the ability for the individual to carry the miniature with them at all times. As a result they were mainly designed as objects of wearable art, items of jewellery, such as bracelets or necklaces for women, or alternatively for men, the miniature could be set in a pocket watch, or into the lid of a snuff box. The portraits were frequently adorned with diamonds, pearls or other precious stones as a show of wealth and status. Long periods of separation due to travel or warfare led to loved ones often having a lock of hair in the reverse side as a token of their affection.

 

Collecting miniatures was popularised at French court during the reign of Francois I before spreading to the court of Henry VIII in England, where they were often presented as gifts to favourable courtiers during public ceremony. Their small size required the artist to exercise incredibly controlled brushwork to capture the features of the sitter. Portrait miniatures remained highly popular, for rendering the likeness of a beloved, until the advent of daguerreotypes and early photography in the mid-19th century. However, alongside this development in other mediums of portraiture, the style of miniatures in the 19th century, shifted and developed, with the artist wanting to show off their skill by including details such as clothes and background settings.

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