Miniature
- Place of origin:
Scotland, Great Britain (made)
- Date:
- Artist/Maker:
Murphy, Denis Brownell (maker)
- Materials and Techniques:
Enamel on copper, papier-mâché and ormolu frame
- Credit Line:
The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- Museum number:
- Gallery location:
Gold, Silver & Mosaics, room 71, case 6, shelf 1
- Image in copyright
The reign of Charles I (ruled 1625-49) was marred by disputes and unrest between the King and Parliament. The civil wars that followed led to the execution of the King in 1649. Oliver Cromwell subsequently became Lord Protector of England.
In the 17th century, new techniques of painting enamels allowed delicate portraits resembling tiny oil paintings to be created. These enamel miniatures were first fashionable in continental Europe, but were particularly in vogue in Britain from the 1720s to 1760s. Denis Brownell Murphy was born in Dublin around 1745. During his long career he worked in both England and Scotland. Brownell Murphy painted a set of enamel miniatures in Scotland in 1804, taking as his source portraits which were in Scottish collections at the time. He chose images illustrating the lineage of the House of Stuart, beginning with Mary Queen of Scots.
Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
Physical description
Rectangular portrait miniature of Charles I in a grey striped doublet with a white lace collar, wearing the blue sash and star of the Order of the Garter. The miniature is enamel on copper and the frame is papier-mâché with ormolu mounts in the shape of shells and a crown.
Place of Origin
Scotland, Great Britain (made)
Date
1804 (made)
Artist/maker
Murphy, Denis Brownell (maker)
Materials and Techniques
Enamel on copper, papier-mâché and ormolu frame
Marks and inscriptions
Inscribed 'Charles I / from the original by van Dyke'
Dimensions
Depth: 1.86 cm, Height: 17.8 cm, Width: 14.65 cm
Object history note
Provenance: Johnson, Walker and Tolhurst, London, 1979.
Descriptive line
Enamel miniature on copper of Charles I, in a papier-mâché and ormolu frame, Scotland, 1804, by Denis Brownwell Murphy.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Coffin, Sarah and Bodo Hofstetter. Portrait Miniatures in Enamel. London: Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd. in association with the Gilbert Collection, 2000. 168 p., ill. Cat. no. 42C, pp. 89-92. ISBN 0856675334.
Labels and date
Charles I
1804
The reign of Charles I (ruled 1625–49) was marred by
disputes and unrest between the king and parliament.
The civil wars that followed led to the execution of the
king in 1649. Oliver Cromwell subsequently became
Lord Protector of England.
Scotland; Denis Brownell Murphy (about 1745–1842),
after Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641)
Enamel on copper in original papier-mâché frame
with gilded copper-alloy mounts
Inscribed on backing paper ‘Charles I
from the original by van Dyke’
Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.236-2008 [2009]
Production Note
Portrait after Anthony van Dyck.
Materials
Enamel; Copper; Papier-mâché; Ormolu
Techniques
Painting (image-making); Framing
Subjects depicted
Order of the Garter; Charles I (King of England); Male; Monarch
Categories
Portraits; Enamels
Collection code
MET
