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Portrait miniature of an unknown boy

Portrait Miniature
1664 (painted)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

In its strict sense, the word ‘miniature’ describes a technique of painting in watercolour rather than the size of a painting. Miniature painting developed as a separate art in the 16th century and in Britain it became predominantly a portrait art. In Continental Europe, however, the taste for portraits small enough to be carried on the person was often met by artists working within very different artistic traditions. One type of ‘miniature’ (as all such small works are now known), produced more on the Continent than in Britain, was the oil miniature, usually painted on metal, although this example is on paper. Most of these oil miniatures are anonymous, since the art of painting small portraits in oil on metal was not one in which leading artists specialised. More often it was part of a repertoire of portrait styles offered by less well-known oil painters.

Although oil miniature portraits were in vogue in the 17th century, it is unusual to find signed examples, and this is perhaps why less attention has been paid to them than their merits often deserve. An exception is provided by a group of oil miniatures signed with the initials ‘F.S.’, which are by an artist with a well-defined style and a dramatic sense of lighting who worked in the middle of the 17th century. The monogram was long believed to be that of Franciszek Smiadecki, a Pole or Russian, who was supposed to have been taught miniature painting by the celebrated English miniaturist Samuel Cooper. More recently he was believed to have been one of the favourite pupils of Cooper’s brother, Alexander, who worked on the Continent. Some of the sitters for ‘F.S.’ have been proved to be English and his work is often identified with England. But the identification of ‘F.S.’ with Smiadecki has only ever been tentative. Whoever ‘F.S.’ was, he is a figure of some importance, and his work is met with comparatively frequently.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitlePortrait miniature of an unknown boy (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Oil on copper
Brief description
Portrait miniature of an unknown boy, aged 8, by F. S. (possibly Smiadecki Francisek), Polish, 1664
Physical description
Miniature, head and shoulders portrait, in an oval frame, of a young boy. The boy is turned slightly to the right, facing to front, his hair blonde and about his shoulders. He wears a black tunic and a lace collar.
Dimensions
  • Height: 7.6cm
  • Width: 5.9cm
Dimensions taken from Victoria & Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1959. London: HMSO, 1964.
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'FS.' (Signed with monogram)
  • 'aetatus. [sic] suae. Ano-1664.' (Inscribed)
Credit line
Purchased with funds from the Stephenson Bequest
Object history
P.2-1959 was Lot 29 at Messrs. Christie's sale on 9 March 1959, when it was bought by the Museum. In the sale catalogue it was attributed to F. Smiadecki, an artist about whom little is known but to whom have been attributed some ten or twelve oil miniatures, signed F. S., of the mid-17th century. Franciszek Smiadecki is reputed to have been taught miniature painting by Samuel Cooper. The attribution of these miniatures remains in some doubt, however, and as alternative possibilities F. Santacker and François van Santwijk have been proposed.
Production
Supposedly by Franciszek Smiadecki. Other possibilities include F. Santacker and François van Santwijk.
Subjects depicted
Summary
In its strict sense, the word ‘miniature’ describes a technique of painting in watercolour rather than the size of a painting. Miniature painting developed as a separate art in the 16th century and in Britain it became predominantly a portrait art. In Continental Europe, however, the taste for portraits small enough to be carried on the person was often met by artists working within very different artistic traditions. One type of ‘miniature’ (as all such small works are now known), produced more on the Continent than in Britain, was the oil miniature, usually painted on metal, although this example is on paper. Most of these oil miniatures are anonymous, since the art of painting small portraits in oil on metal was not one in which leading artists specialised. More often it was part of a repertoire of portrait styles offered by less well-known oil painters.

Although oil miniature portraits were in vogue in the 17th century, it is unusual to find signed examples, and this is perhaps why less attention has been paid to them than their merits often deserve. An exception is provided by a group of oil miniatures signed with the initials ‘F.S.’, which are by an artist with a well-defined style and a dramatic sense of lighting who worked in the middle of the 17th century. The monogram was long believed to be that of Franciszek Smiadecki, a Pole or Russian, who was supposed to have been taught miniature painting by the celebrated English miniaturist Samuel Cooper. More recently he was believed to have been one of the favourite pupils of Cooper’s brother, Alexander, who worked on the Continent. Some of the sitters for ‘F.S.’ have been proved to be English and his work is often identified with England. But the identification of ‘F.S.’ with Smiadecki has only ever been tentative. Whoever ‘F.S.’ was, he is a figure of some importance, and his work is met with comparatively frequently.
Bibliographic reference
Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1959 . London: HMSO, 1964.
Collection
Accession number
P.2-1959

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Record createdJuly 14, 2003
Record URL
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