Portrait Miniatures The Gentlemen

This is a collection of Miniature Portraits on Ivory of Gentlemen from the Federal, Regency and Early Victorian Eras. Also a couple from the 17th Century.

Hand painted miniatures were the early likenesses that patrons had commissioned by miniature artists before the invention of the camera. Most of these portraits are meticulously hand painted with watercolor on ivory or sometimes oil colors with the aid of a reducing glass to view the sitter in smaller form. The miniatures range from 2 inches to 4 inches sometimes as large as 6 or 8 inches. The ivory used in which the artists painted on was elephant ivory sliced into wafers the width of the elephant tusk, hence the oval shape of the portraits. These miniatures were usually encased in gold and occasionally adorned with jewels or pearls. Often they contained a lock of plaited hair on the reverse side from the loved one alive or deceased as a memento.
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I will be creating a video of all Women Miniatures and also another of Children Miniatures to be uploaded soon.