Miniature
ca. 1705 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This portrait depicts John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough in his armour and Order of the Garter badge. The miniature may have been commissioned to commemorate his victory in the important Battle of Blenheim during the War of the Spanish Succession.
Charles Boit may have based this miniature on a similar portrait painted by Michael Dahl. Boit was born in Sweden and lived in both Stockholm and Paris before arriving in England in 1687. He found success as a miniature painter after his arrival in 1687, and was appointed Court Enameller in 1696. In 1704 he was commissioned to make an ambitiously large enamel plaque commemorating the Battle of Blenheim, one that he would never complete despite being paid more than one advance on it. His debts in England eventually forced him to leave in 1714 for France, where he died in 1727.
Portrait miniatures in enamel became popular in the early seventeenth century and remained so well into the nineteenth century. In this technique, finely powdered glass coloured by metal oxides was applied to a metal surface and fired. Different colours required different firing temperatures, making it a long and technically demanding process. Such painstaking efforts were rewarded by the finished portrait’s glossy finish and relative durability.
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.
Charles Boit may have based this miniature on a similar portrait painted by Michael Dahl. Boit was born in Sweden and lived in both Stockholm and Paris before arriving in England in 1687. He found success as a miniature painter after his arrival in 1687, and was appointed Court Enameller in 1696. In 1704 he was commissioned to make an ambitiously large enamel plaque commemorating the Battle of Blenheim, one that he would never complete despite being paid more than one advance on it. His debts in England eventually forced him to leave in 1714 for France, where he died in 1727.
Portrait miniatures in enamel became popular in the early seventeenth century and remained so well into the nineteenth century. In this technique, finely powdered glass coloured by metal oxides was applied to a metal surface and fired. Different colours required different firing temperatures, making it a long and technically demanding process. Such painstaking efforts were rewarded by the finished portrait’s glossy finish and relative durability.
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.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Enamel on copper, silver-gilt |
Brief description | Enamel miniature on copper of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, in a silver-gilt frame, ca.1705, by Charles Boit |
Physical description | Rectangular miniature portrait of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough standing three quarters length wearing armour and a blue sash with the Order of the Garter, an ermine and red cloak and holding his Field Marshall's baton. The miniature is enamel on copper and has a rectangular silver-gilt frame with a moulded surround. |
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Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
Object history | Provenance: The Earls Spencer, Althorp. Acquired by Arthur Gilbert from S.J. Phillips Ltd, London, 1979. |
Subject depicted | |
Summary | This portrait depicts John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough in his armour and Order of the Garter badge. The miniature may have been commissioned to commemorate his victory in the important Battle of Blenheim during the War of the Spanish Succession. Charles Boit may have based this miniature on a similar portrait painted by Michael Dahl. Boit was born in Sweden and lived in both Stockholm and Paris before arriving in England in 1687. He found success as a miniature painter after his arrival in 1687, and was appointed Court Enameller in 1696. In 1704 he was commissioned to make an ambitiously large enamel plaque commemorating the Battle of Blenheim, one that he would never complete despite being paid more than one advance on it. His debts in England eventually forced him to leave in 1714 for France, where he died in 1727. Portrait miniatures in enamel became popular in the early seventeenth century and remained so well into the nineteenth century. In this technique, finely powdered glass coloured by metal oxides was applied to a metal surface and fired. Different colours required different firing temperatures, making it a long and technically demanding process. Such painstaking efforts were rewarded by the finished portrait’s glossy finish and relative durability. 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. |
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Collection | |
Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.302-2008 |
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Record created | June 26, 2008 |
Record URL |
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