Closing: European Portrait Miniatures
Saturday, June 9, 2012, 11:00 AM
University Art Museum

Exhibition closes on June 9

The exhibition, "Small Worlds: European Portrait Miniatures," at the University Art Museum, closes on Saturday, June 9.

The genre of the miniature portrait thrived in England and continental Europe from its birth in the 16th century through the mid-19th century, when the advent of photography led to its demise.

Today the word miniature is commonly understood as something that is exceptionally small, but the word originally meant the art of painting images in books with water-soluble pigment. The word miniature derives from minium¸ a red pigment used in manuscript illumination.

In the 16th century a specialized group of painters developed the art of the portrait miniature. Their sources were the small scale paintings found in manuscripts and the tradition of antique portrait medallions revived in the Renaissance.

Typically created in an oval or round format on a vellum or ivory support, the portrait miniature became widely popular. Originally utilized by the English monarchy as a means of bestowing favor upon a subject, the portrait miniature’s uses blossomed. Worn as a sign of loyalty, as jewelry, or carried privately like a snapshot of a friend or lover, these exquisitely detailed images continue to fascinate today.

This event is free.

------------------------------

Event Contact: Jennifer Clary can be reached at (970) 491-3603

Sponsored by the School of the Arts.