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The
miniature holds a distinctive place amongst the visual arts, with its
own unique characteristics .It involves several different genres: In
miniature paintings we may find depictions of urban and pastoral
landscapes, battles scenes, etc., but the most important subjects is
the portrait. During the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe, portraits
in miniature were placed on writing desks, hung on the walls of studies
and boudoirs, fix into boxes, snuffboxes, the handles of walking
sticks, medals rings, brooches and bracelets, all of which allowed the
owner to always have an image of his loved ones at hand. Portraits of
emperors and empresses, mounted in gold, silver and precious stones,
were used as honors and decorations. Usually a portrait was
commissioned in more than one copy; these copies were then presented to
relatives and friends, although only the first copy was signed by the
artist. The portrait had therefore the same role that later on was
given to photography. |
