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M. Alison Kannon
Rosalind Delamere
The art of “limning”, or miniature painting, flourished during the Sixteenth Century, especially in England. Many of these miniatures survive to present day and are fine examples of the art of the time period. Artists mixed their own paints from compounds such as Ceruse, Lead, Umber, and Vermilion. Color compounds were mixed with other components, such as gum and water, to create the paints (Muller and Murrell, p. 59). The miniatures were predominately painted on vellum, although some may have been painted on paper, which was then backed with card or a panel of wood. (Hearn, p.119, 118, 120) (Fig. 1, 2)
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Fig. 1. Leonard Darr. Painted by Nicholas Hilliard c. 1591. Watercolor on Vellum backed with a playing card. (Hearn, p. 127) This is sitter was not of the gentry and most likely sat for Hilliard before he was on the court payroll. |
Most miniatures appear to have been round, although there are some examples of oval and rectangular paintings. (Fig. 2, 3) They also appear to have predominately had blue backgrounds (Fig. 1, 7) although there are also examples of green and dark blue, almost black backgrounds (Fig. 2, 5, 6). Additionally they are usually of a single person (Fig. 1, 5, 6, 7) but there are examples of miniatures of families (Fig. 3) and ceremonies. (Fig. 4) Treatises were written on the art. Nicholas Hilliard, a native English artist, wrote The Arte of Limning during the years of c1598-1603 and Edward Norgate wrote Miniatura or the Art of Limning during the early Seventeenth Century. These portraits were often owned by men and women and nobility as well as gentry. Hilliard himself painted sitters that were not members of court before he was on the court payroll. (Hearn, 127) and were generally images of loved ones.
I based my miniature on a picture taken of me in January. I painted it on paper vellum as that was the closest approximation to actually vellum that I could easily obtain. I used gouache rather than mixing my own paints as it was my fist project and I did find an example of a miniature painted in watercolor and gouache. (Hearn, p. 134) (Fig. 3)
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Fig. 2. Gerlach Flicke with Henry Strangwish. Oil on paper or vellum, laid on panel. (Hearn. p. 120) This miniature is rectangular and has a green background, both of which seem to distinguish it from many other miniatures of the time period. |
The gouache was easy to use and mistakes were easy to fix, but I would probably use a different paint next time. In some cases the gouache became caked and thick and it was difficult to get it to spread out without damaging other aspects of the portrait. This will probably happen less often if I work with this art form more often, but if I work with this art form more I want to use more period materials. I spend many weeks searching for an appropriate frame but with no luck. This small wooden frame was made by Michael Kannon (Gaston du’ Valmont) for my miniature. It is rectangular as that was the simplest style to make and I found a couple of examples of rectangular portrait miniatures. I wanted the frame and portrait to be simple. They are not of the finest craftsmanship as this persona was not of the nobility and would not have had access to the best limners of his day.
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Fig. 3. The Browne Brothers. Isaac Oliver. c.1598 Painted in gouache and watercolor on vellum and backed with a card. (Hearn, p. 134) |
Fig. 4. An Elizabethan Maundy Ceremony. c.1560. Vellum on playing card. Believed to have been painted by Levina Teerling. (Hearn, p. 121) |
Fig. 5. An Unknown Man. c.1574. Vellum laid on a playing card. Attributed to Nicholas Hilliard. (Hearn, p. 123) |
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Fig. 6. Earl of Essex . Isaac Oliver. c.1596 Painted on vellum and laid on a playing card. (Hearn, p. 133) |
Fig. 7. Nicholas Hilliard. Nicholas Hilliard. c. 1577. This self-portrait was painted on vellum and laid on a playing card. (Hearn, p. 125) |
References
Hearn, Karen. Dynasties: Painting in Tudor and Jacobean England 1530-1630. Rizzoli. New York. 1996
Muller, Jeffery M. and Murrell, Jim. Miniatura or the Art of Limning. Yale University Press. New Haven, Ct. and London, England. 1997
Reynolds, Graham and Baetjer, Katherine. Eropean Miniatures in the MetropolitanMuseum of Art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York. 1996
Copyright 2005, M. Alison Kannon. All information presented here is for personal research only. Any use of the information contained herein must be properly cited. Linking to this website is allowed.
