Miniature treasures inspire awe in the Koss Gallery of the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM). The exhibit “Intimate Images of Love and Loss: Portrait Miniatures” displays tiny portraits painted with watercolors on ivory. Most of the items measure less than 5 inches square, and many contain themselves within a 3-inch oval frame made of glass and metal. The small icons were worn on bracelets, lockets or pins so that the portraits, along with thoughts of the loved ones they pictured, would remain close to those they adorned. Frequently a portrait’s decorative backings would include small snippets of hair as an additional keepsake from the person in the picture.
These intimate images highlight a specialty seldom seen in the portraiture genre of the 21st century. The origins of these miniature portraits have been traced to illuminated manuscripts from the 16th century, and they were noted in some of Jane Austen’s novels, including Sense and Sensibility.One example displayed in the exhibition illustrates how England’s Queen Charlotte kept a miniature resemblance of her husband, King George III, near her side when she had an ivory painting of him ensconced in a pearl bracelet, which she wore continually.
Another exquisite example is George Engleheart’s 1790 Woman in a Hat, a watercolor on ivory encircled in gold. This portrait features an intricate, delicate representation of femininity with a woman dressed in a fashionable pure-white hat. Her hat is shaded with smoky grays and charcoals to enhance her similarly white gown. The singular color in this image appears as a pink tint to her cheeks and lips.
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The exhibition also includes the period after 1839 when photography became popular and the portraits gained more realism. Twentieth-century portrait artist Mira Edgerly Korzybska also captured stamp-sized portraits that replicated John Singer Sargent’s immense masterpieces.
In 2010, camera phones and other portable devices can provide instant visuals or videos of those close to the heart. “Love and Loss” depicts a romantic era that required the expertise of a fine artist. In many ways, the clarity and detail in these cherished miniatures surpass the digital copies currently in use.
“Intimate Images of Love and Loss: Portrait Miniatures” continues through Oct. 31.
