Miniature Painting – An Enduring History of the Art of Miniature
Early Beginnings
Miniature painting is a historic style of art that is very comprehensive, often referred to as painting or working “in miniature”. Because of their origins as illuminations, they are also painted to have as smooth of a surface as desirable. (It is also suggested that miniature art may have been influenced by the medals of ancient Rome as well) Miniature art can be tracked back to ancient Egyptian manuscripts on papyrus scrolls. Monks are also often highlighted for their contributions to initial miniature paintings with their divinely illuminated manuscripts such as the Celtic Book of Kells and England’s Lindisfarne Gospels (both of which measure around 9″ x 12″). Some early manuscripts contain miniature paintings on their pages that depict attractive arrangements of life sized flower arrangements on their borders. The history of miniature painting is also seen throughout the world in numerous other cultures.
Miniature painting began out of necessity for illustrating documents and manuscripts to aid those reading them during a time when many were not able to, before presswork was invented. The miniature helped to convey the story and meaning of the written word. Therefore, the art of miniature painting is directly connected to the book arts. The many sized illuminations (pictures) were cut out of these books or documents so that they could be carried more easily. Later, evolving from the carried miniature, portrait miniature artists were commissioned to paint small portraits – paintings that were used as we use wallet sized photos today. These sizes of miniature paintings became popular with collectors and are often referred to as “hand held miniatures”. Portrait miniatures were drawn in greater sizes as well, for example expert miniaturist, Nicholas Hilliard, Peter Oliver, and Sir Charles William Ross all illustrated works that were of a greater size.
Sizes
Miniature painting is sometimes confused and assumed that the pieces must be small or depict subjects on a smaller scale to be considered miniature art, though this is not the circumstance. It is helpful to keep in mind that the origins of the term “miniature” have nothing to do with a size. The phrase miniature comes from the terms ‘minium’ (used for the red lead paint used in illuminated manuscripts) and ‘miniare’ (Latin for ‘to color with red lead’).
Miniature painting is a style and technique of painting, and as such, a wall sized work could be illustrated “in miniature”. Authors of the Yale University Press publication, “The English Miniature” have stated that miniatures have been drawn large and some works are even considered to be enormous. Various faculty members of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London validate that miniature paintings are not restricted to littleness. Larger sized miniature paintings are documented throughout history and are known today, though painting bigger works in miniature is more complex and time consuming than a smaller piece if the same concentration to detail is observed. Miniature art is also unique in that it was and is often used on objects, such as the Russian lacquer boxes that are beautiful examples of Russian miniature painting.
The writer, Olga Rahmaninof, is the owner of art prints store and an art teacher
Processing your request, Please wait....
