An Unknown Woman
Portrait Miniature
ca. 1615 (painted)
ca. 1615 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
A good late miniature by Isaac Oliver, suffering only noticeably from flaking on the picture box pinned to the sitter’s dress. Roy Strong suggested that 'There is a tiny enamelled insect on her ruff' but it is not clear what form this jewel takes. The miniature is framed in a contemporary gold locket from which the lid has apparently been wrenched. The back is engraved with a diaper pattern under transparent claret-coloured enamel, a large patch of which is broken off. The lady is depicted a wearing an enamel locket of the same kind. Presumably it is a pair to her own, possibly a miniature of her husband. The sitter is unidentified, but as it was sold from the collections of the Earl of Moray, one of their ancestors is a possibility. It is inscribed the the left of the head: 'Aetatis Suae 50', indicating that she is 50 years old.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | An Unknown Woman (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Watercolour on vellum stuck to a playing card with two diamonds on the reverse. |
| Brief description | Portrait miniature of an unknown woman, watercolour on vellum, painted by Isaac Oliver, ca. 1615. |
| Physical description | Portrait miniature of a woman, head and shoulders, in an oval locket. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Styles | |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Aetatis Suae 50.' (Inscribed, to the left of the head) |
| Credit line | Purchased with funds from the Captain H B Murray Bequest |
| Object history | COLLECTIONS: Sold from the collection of the 17th Earl of Moray Christie’s 30 June 1932 (lot 131); purchased with funds from the Capt. H. B. Murray bequest. |
| Production | In her article 'The Miniatures of Levina Teerling' Simone Bergmans identified this miniature as a self portrait by the artist Levina Teerlinc, who in fact died in 1576 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | A good late miniature by Isaac Oliver, suffering only noticeably from flaking on the picture box pinned to the sitter’s dress. Roy Strong suggested that 'There is a tiny enamelled insect on her ruff' but it is not clear what form this jewel takes. The miniature is framed in a contemporary gold locket from which the lid has apparently been wrenched. The back is engraved with a diaper pattern under transparent claret-coloured enamel, a large patch of which is broken off. The lady is depicted a wearing an enamel locket of the same kind. Presumably it is a pair to her own, possibly a miniature of her husband. The sitter is unidentified, but as it was sold from the collections of the Earl of Moray, one of their ancestors is a possibility. It is inscribed the the left of the head: 'Aetatis Suae 50', indicating that she is 50 years old. |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | P.24-1932 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | June 30, 2009 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
