Portrait of an unknown girl, with initials B. M.
Enamel Miniature
ca. 1690-1710 (painted)
ca. 1690-1710 (painted)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This portrait is painted in enamel on metal. The advantage of enamel over traditional miniature painting (watercolour painted on vellum or, from about 1700, on ivory) is that it does not fade when exposed to light. The process of painting with enamels is, however, less free than the miniature technique and is fraught with danger. The first colours to be laid on the metal support have to be those needing the highest temperature when firing. More colour is added and the enamel refired, the process ending with the colours needing the lowest temperature. Such labour meant that it was an expensive option.
Enamel was first practised in England in the 1630s by the Swiss goldsmith Jean Petitot at the court of Charles I. It was reintroduced around 1680 by a Swede, Charles Boit, and achieved wide popularity with the work of Christian Friedrich Zincke of Germany. Both Boit and Zincke were goldsmiths by training. This miniature is painted in the style of Charles Boit. It could have been painted in Britain by an artist who knew Boit’s work there, or on the Continent, where Boit fled in debt in 1714.
Enamel was first practised in England in the 1630s by the Swiss goldsmith Jean Petitot at the court of Charles I. It was reintroduced around 1680 by a Swede, Charles Boit, and achieved wide popularity with the work of Christian Friedrich Zincke of Germany. Both Boit and Zincke were goldsmiths by training. This miniature is painted in the style of Charles Boit. It could have been painted in Britain by an artist who knew Boit’s work there, or on the Continent, where Boit fled in debt in 1714.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Portrait of an unknown girl, with initials B. M. (popular title) |
Materials and techniques | Enamel on metal |
Brief description | Portrait miniature, enamel on metal, depicting an unknown girl with initials B.M., in the style of Charles Boit (1662-1727). English School. |
Physical description | Portrait miniature, enamel on metal, depicting an unknown girl with initials B.M. |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Given by H. E. Backer |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | This portrait is painted in enamel on metal. The advantage of enamel over traditional miniature painting (watercolour painted on vellum or, from about 1700, on ivory) is that it does not fade when exposed to light. The process of painting with enamels is, however, less free than the miniature technique and is fraught with danger. The first colours to be laid on the metal support have to be those needing the highest temperature when firing. More colour is added and the enamel refired, the process ending with the colours needing the lowest temperature. Such labour meant that it was an expensive option. Enamel was first practised in England in the 1630s by the Swiss goldsmith Jean Petitot at the court of Charles I. It was reintroduced around 1680 by a Swede, Charles Boit, and achieved wide popularity with the work of Christian Friedrich Zincke of Germany. Both Boit and Zincke were goldsmiths by training. This miniature is painted in the style of Charles Boit. It could have been painted in Britain by an artist who knew Boit’s work there, or on the Continent, where Boit fled in debt in 1714. |
Bibliographic reference | Victoria and Albert Museum, Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1950, London: HMSO, 1962. |
Collection | |
Accession number | P.15-1950 |
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Record created | July 11, 2003 |
Record URL |
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