Portrait miniatures prove that when it comes to painting, less is definitely more. For French and English courtiers, they were intimate works, kept on the owner’s person and, when intended as romantic keepsakes, containing locks of hair. Most of the research around portrait miniatures has concerned the painted likenesses on the front, but this exhibition in Cleveland invites us to look at the back of these works (20 February–14 February 2027). Patrons would sometimes spend more on the cases, which were often made using materials such as gold, diamonds or enamel, than on the paintings themselves, and these 13 examples provide a rare glimpse of the craftsmanship, attention to detail and, in some cases, personal notes that can be found on the backs of portrait miniatures.
Find out more from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s website.
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