Portrait of an unknown woman
Portrait Miniature
second half 17th century (painted)
second half 17th century (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is an example of an unusual amusement that came into fashion after about 1650. It consists of an oil miniature painted on copper and set in a leather case. Accompanying the miniature are a number of costume details painted in opaque colour on slivers of transparent mineral known at the time as ‘talc’. In fact, the little costume sheets are pieces of mica. This is a mineral that splits easily into thin yet very tough and flexible flakes, as transparent as glass. These ‘talcs’ matched the oil miniature in shape and size, so that the owner could dress up the subject in different costumes by laying on the ‘talcs’ one at a time. We do not know where these miniatures were manufactured, but they are found throughout Europe. They could be accompanied by as many as 20 different talcs.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 3 parts.
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| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Oil on copper with a painted mica overlay |
| Brief description | Portrait miniature of an unknown woman, informally known as 'Catherine of Braganza', oil on copper with a painted mica costume overlay. Anonymous, Dutch, 17th century. |
| Physical description | Portrait miniature of an unknown woman, oil on copper with a painted mica costume overlay. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Mrs E. C. Ellis |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This is an example of an unusual amusement that came into fashion after about 1650. It consists of an oil miniature painted on copper and set in a leather case. Accompanying the miniature are a number of costume details painted in opaque colour on slivers of transparent mineral known at the time as ‘talc’. In fact, the little costume sheets are pieces of mica. This is a mineral that splits easily into thin yet very tough and flexible flakes, as transparent as glass. These ‘talcs’ matched the oil miniature in shape and size, so that the owner could dress up the subject in different costumes by laying on the ‘talcs’ one at a time. We do not know where these miniatures were manufactured, but they are found throughout Europe. They could be accompanied by as many as 20 different talcs. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | P.144 to Q-1931 |
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| Record created | July 11, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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