and Louise, who was living, as one is apt to forget, as late as 1832.
The sisters of the Emperor, Pauline and Caroline, both are here, as are
his brothers Jérome and Louis. Finally, of the Emperor himself there
are over a dozen--as General Bonaparte in 1796; in Academic attire; and
in Court costume, wearing in his hat the golden laurels of victory.
Of this period of his career is the miniature by Isabey, in which
he is wearing the Imperial robes and emblems of victory as before.
This miniature by Isabey is a remarkable presentment of the man and a
masterpiece of the artist. I have described these numerous Napoleonic
portraits in some detail because many of them are not only remarkable
as specimens of French miniature painting of the period, but they also
bear out, I think, what I have said in the preceding pages as to the
value of such works and the instruction they afford.
But the interest of the Wallace Collection of Miniatures is not
confined to the personages who crossed the stage of French history
during the First Empire. Here we may see also Louis XV. and Marie
Leczinska, and two or three of their daughters, Louis XVI. and Marie
Antoinette, Louis XVII. and Louis XVIII. Of the latter there are three
or four portraits; of Madame de Pompadour one of exceptional beauty
(No. 89), signed F. Boucher. It need hardly be said that François
Boucher is not generally recognised as a miniaturist, the breadth and
purely decorative nature of much of his work being as far removed
as it is possible to imagine from the minute finish of a miniature.
This fact, it may be, has led Mr. Claude Phillips, the Curator of the
Gallery, to remark upon this example, and to surmise that it represents
"a wholly exceptional effort made for his (Boucher's) patroness."
Strange to say, Madame Du Barry is unrepresented; on the other hand,
Mlle. Du Thé and La Camargo, the famous dancer, whom Watteau painted,
will be found.
I have given this prominence to the French historical characters as
compared with English or other celebrities since, from this point
of view, there is no comparison to be made between the importance
of the two groups. A Cooper and a Flatman of Charles II., a copy by
Bone (after Lely probably), of Charles's sister-in-law, Anne Hyde; an
enamel by W. Grimaldi, copied from a contemporary portrait of John
Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough; Mrs. Fitzherbert, by R. Cosway;
and two portraits of Wellington by Isabey may be said to sum up the
most notable works coming under the category of English historical
characters.
In this connection there remains, however, one miniature of such
importance, if its ascription be correct, as to merit a special
reference. It is No. 93 described as a portrait of Hans Holbein the
Younger. It is inscribed "HH. A N O. 1543 _Etatis suæ_ 45." The Duke
of Buccleuch possesses a similar one, the only variation perceptible
being a subtle difference in the expression, and that in the Montagu
House example there is a little more seen of the painter's left hand.
Each is on a card; that at Hertford House may be thus described: Head
and bust of a man of middle age, in a black dress, open at the neck,
and a black cap. He holds a pencil in his right hand and looks with a
searching and rather sour expression at the spectator. The portrait is
about one and a half inches circular, and has a blue background. The
beard and moustache are dark and somewhat sparse, the flesh-tones flat,
and inclined to brickiness in colour.
But I am disposed to consider the distinguishing feature of the Wallace
Collection of Miniatures to be the number and importance of the works
of Isabey and of Hall shown therein. By Jean Baptiste Isabey there
are no less than twenty-seven examples, by Pierre Adolphe Hall nearly
a score, by the talented J. B. Augustin, and by the comparatively
little known Mansion, nine each; not to speak of Saint, Dumont, and of
Sicardi. There is one specimen which the Curator apparently does not
hesitate to ascribe to Fragonard, whose miniatures he justly says "are
of extreme rarity." Here, then, we have a feast both rich and varied.
Of the Isabeys we shall find that the most important pieces are dated
between 1811 and 1831. They are treated with a breadth and freedom
of handling which make them resemble water-colour sketches, but when
looked at closely they will be found to have careful detail in the
features, and to be miniatures strictly speaking.
The Halls are characteristic and good, the Mansions exceptionally
fine. I have dealt with both these artists in the final chapter of this
book.
[Illustration: ANONYMOUS.
PORTRAIT OF MIRABEAU.
(_M. Gabriel Marceau._)]
[Illustration: P. A. HALL.
PORTRAIT OF A LADY.
(_Mme. de B._)]
It would be impossible to examine here the hundreds of miniatures in
this collection. They deserve the closest attention, and should be
carefully studied with the aid of a magnifying glass.
THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM.
Having elsewhere in this volume expressed regret at the absence of
any national collection of miniatures in this country, I refrain from
giving utterance to disappointment again. But if there is one place
more than another where such feelings are aroused it is at South
Kensington. True there are miniatures there, but only in sufficient
numbers and, I may say, of sufficient quality, to whet the appetite for
more.
Apart from the Jones Collection, which may be dealt with separately,
the miniatures in the Victoria and Albert Museum are rather
disappointing, and that in spite of a few examples of interest. The
National Collection preserves all its riches of art of this nature in
four cases, which stand in the Sheepshanks Gallery. The catalogue has,
I believe, been out of print for years, certainly there is none now
obtainable, a circumstance very much to be deplored, to say the least
of it. Another matter of regret is that the miniatures cannot be seen
properly by the artificial light with which the galleries are provided;
seeing that the museum is open until ten p.m. three or four nights in
the week, many must feel it tantalising to have no catalogue, and
insufficient and unsatisfactory lighting.
Taking in a rough chronological order what is there shown, we shall
find a faded Queen Elizabeth or two, of the usual type, by Hilliard,
and a fine Oliver of unwonted freshness and brilliancy, due, no doubt,
to its having been preserved in a locket. It is dated 1619, and must
therefore have been painted by Peter Oliver, as his father died two
years earlier. The flesh-tones are particularly good and true to nature.
Of the Samuel Coopers, of which there are two or three examples, that
of Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the brother of Charles II., is the finest
and most noteworthy; it is somewhat faded, but the long, weak face and
melancholy expression, which seem typical of his race, are strikingly
rendered. To about this period belongs a very fine specimen of plumbago
work by David Loggan; it is a portrait of Sir Greville Verney, full
of life as to the character of the head, and of exquisite finish and
delicacy in execution. Near this hang two examples of similar work
by Thomas Forster, but of much inferior quality. They present John,
first Duke of Marlborough and his imperious wife, and are dated 1712.
Richard Cosway is not shown at his best, although the Earl of Carlisle
is a good and characteristic specimen of his somewhat effeminate
rendering of men's portraits. By his pupil, Andrew Plimer, are two very
indifferent portraits of ladies, but another of a young lady (given
by Miss Edmonstone Ashley) is a very charming work; the fair unknown
wears a huge white chin stay, and looks at the spectator with an
arch and vivacious expression. Mrs. Carruthers is a pleasing instance
of J. Meyer's sound and attractive method of painting, and there are
two excellent and characteristic Rosses, viz., Margaret, Duchess of
Somerset and Mrs. Dalton. There is also a very good specimen of Sir W.
J. Newton, an artist whose work is now perhaps somewhat underrated. In
the Plumley Collection of Enamels, shown in the same gallery, are some
examples of Essex which may please lovers of animals, and a number of
Bone's copies, which, skilful as they are, considering the scale on
which they are done and the difficulty in doing them, yet leave a good
deal to be desired when compared with the originals. A word may be
said as to the Barbor jewel which hangs in one of these cases, and is
reproduced in this book. It was made for a Mr. Barbor to commemorate
his deliverance from the stake in the reign of Mary Tudor by the timely
death of that sovereign just at the time fixed for his execution. It
is cut in a fine Oriental onyx, mounted in gold and enamelled, and was
bequeathed to the Museum by the Rev. E. E. Blencowe.
THE DYCE COLLECTION.
There are four small cases of miniatures pertaining to the Dyce
Collection which contain a few Coopers, and, notably, a portrait of the
artist himself, of which last an illustration is given. The pocket-book
and its contents attributed to Cooper I have already referred to in
Chapter VII. Some of these are thoroughly characteristic; others,
in their smoothness and in the nature of their colouring, are quite
unlike Cooper's ordinary manner; whilst in one instance at least the
drawing is so bad as to make one sceptical of its being the work of
such an artist as Samuel Cooper at all. Take for example the portrait
labelled Miss Pru Fillips (_sic_), or Mrs. Rosse, or Mrs. Priestman. On
the other hand, the preparatory sketches for the Duchess of Cleveland
and Mrs. Munday, and, above all, the Catherine of Braganza strike
one as being not only the work of the master but also as especially
characteristic. There is a very good Flatman in this collection, a
portrait of himself; there are also a number of miniatures in oil on
copper which, like most works of this nature, fail to interest us
very much; owing to their scale they have necessarily nothing of the
impressiveness of an oil portrait, whilst as miniatures they lack
delicacy and charm.
THE JONES COLLECTION.
As the Isabeys and Halls strike the dominant note of the Wallace
Collection of miniatures, so do the enamels by Petitot that of the
Jones Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum. There are at
Kensington no less than 56 pieces attributed to Jean Petitot, besides
two others ascribed to Petitot the Younger.
I shall not re-enter upon a criticism of the great Genevese enameller
and his marvellous art, with its distinctive character, further than
to repeat that for minute delicacy, perfection of drawing, and
colouring it has never been excelled. I am speaking of course, of
genuine work by Petitot, for he has had numberless imitators and
copyists.
[Illustration: J. B. MASSÉ.
PORTRAIT OF THE PAINTER C. J. NATOIRE.
(_M. Ed. Taigny._)]
Upon examining the index of painters which is subjoined to this chapter
it will be seen that many of the names we have been discussing occur
therein, but the Jones Collection cannot be said to be a representative
one. There are but three or four Coopers, one each by Hilliard and
Hoskins, Zincke and Boit have five between them; there are three
attributed to Peter Oliver, and the like number to Isaac. In the case
of the last named, however, we have a _chef d'[oe]uvre_ in the shape of
the portrait of the Earl of Dorset already described in Chapter VI. By
Bernard Lens also we have an important example, namely, the full length
of Sarah Jennings, Duchess of Marlborough, in the blue robe affected by
artists of the period.
But it is the Petitots which in the eyes of students should give such
especial value to this collection, for nowhere else, so far as I have
seen or heard, can the like be found, certainly not at the Louvre.
Having previously enlarged fully upon the exquisite art of which Jean
Petitot was the greatest exponent, I need not recapitulate the charm
which attaches to these gems of miniature painting nor the difficulties
attending their production. But I have been at the pains to arrange
the Jones Collection alphabetically under painters and personages, to
facilitate reference. By the aid of this analysis I trust my readers
will be enabled to judge for themselves what there is to see at
Kensington in this way, and, if they have a genuine interest in the
subject, they may find the study of the collection facilitated by this
key to its contents.
INDEX TO THE NAMES OF PERSONS IN THE JONES COLLECTION.
A
Name.
Addison, Joseph, 305
Aiguillon, Duchesse de, 307
Alençon, Duc de, 553
Angoulême, Duchesse de, 502
Anjou, Duc de, 289
Antoinette, Marie, 347, 497, 502
Artois, Comte d', 502
Austria, Anne of, 312, 345
B
Berri, Duc de, 293
Berri, Duchesse de, 288
Bohemia, Elizabeth of, 257
Borgia, Cesare, 87
Bourgogne, Duchesse de, 292
Brissac, Duchesse de, 262
C
Catherine I., 282
Catinat, 524
Challace, Mlle. de, 290
Charles I., 349, 517
Charles II., 88, 304
Christine, Queen, 255
Corneille, 313
Condé, Le Grand, 272
Condé, Henri Prince de, 92, 277
Condé, Princesse de, 274
Condé, Sister of Le Grand, 280
Conti, Anne, Princesse de, 260, 263
D
Dauphin, the, 502
Dorset, Earl of, 357
Drake, Sir F., 297
E
Elizabeth, 350
Elizabeth, Mme., 502
Essex, R., Earl of, 301
Etampes, Duchesse de, 86
F
Fontanges, Mlle., 543
Fouquet, Nicholas, 279
François II., 421
G
George IV., 339
Grammont, Comtesse de, 287, 489
Granby, Marquis of, 506
Grignan, Comtesse de, 269, 543
Guise, Louis Jos., 320
Guise, Duc de, 266
H
Henry, Prince of Wales, 294
Henrietta Maria, Queen, 254, 521
Henry VIII., 85
J
James, Duke of York, 89
L
Lamballe, Princesse de, 348
L'Enclos, Ninon de 253, 489
Longueville, Duchesse de, 251
Lorraine, Duchesse de, 317
Lorraine, Cardinal, 424
Louis XIV., 246-8, 259, 270, 273, 275, 309, 359, 486 See also 539
Louis XV., 286, 352, 519
Louis XVI., 362
Louis XVIII., 502
Louvois, Marquis de, 264
Luxembourg, F. Duc de, 261, 267
M
Maintenon, Mme. de, 271, 479
Maine, Duc de, 249
Marlborough, Duchess of, 91, 364
Mary, Queen (of William III.), 356
Mary, Queen of Scots, 80, 299, 541
Marie Thérèse, Queen, 315
Mazarin, Cardinal, 247, 318
Mazarin, Duchesse de, 291, 308
Meilleraye, Duc de, 311
Milton, 351
Molière, 316
Montpensier, Duchesse de, 241
Montespan, Mme. de, 242, 252
N
Nôtre, André le, 278
O
Orléans, M. Louise, Duchesse d', 524
Orléans, Philippe d', 284
Orléans, Duchesse d', 265, 344, 488
Orléans, Duc d', 240
Ormonde, James, Duke of, 298
P
Pontchartreux, 525
Pembroke, Countess of, 365
Peter the Great, 363
Philip V., 283
Portsmouth, Duchess of, 285, 343
Pym, J., 84
R
Racine, 355
Richelieu, Duc de, 326, 346
Rochester, J. Wilmot, Earl of, 295
Rochefoucauld, 310
Rupert, Prince, 302
S
Sévigné, Mme. de, 245, 250, 482
Sidney, Sir Philip, 303
Sidney, Mary, Countess of Pembroke, 365
Soissons, Comtesse de, 276
Sully, Duc de, 314
T
Thurloe, John, 296
Turenne, Comte de, 90, 268
U
Unknown, 300, 319, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327, 328, 329, 330, 331, 333, 334, 335, 336, 337, 338, 358, 509
V
Vallière, Mlle. de la, 243, 258
Vendôme, Duc de, 256
Vendôme, Louis Joseph, Duc de, 281
Vermandois, Comte de, 244
W
Wales, Henry, Prince of, 294
Wellington, Duke of, 531
William III., 354
Y
York, James, Duke of, 89
INDEX TO PAINTERS.
Artaud, 289
Boit, C., 282, 288, 292
Boucher, 341, 347
Cooper, S., 295 (after) 296 (after) 302, 304, 351
Essex, William, 339
F. Hans, 344, 362
Gerbier, 349
Hilliard, N., 350
Holbein, H., 81 (after) 85
Hoskins, J., 365
Isabey, 531
Janet, 353
Janssen, C., 82, 83, 84
Lens, Bernard, 364, 541
Le Seuer, 506
Oliver, Isaac, 294, 303, 357
Oliver, Peter, 361, 517, 521
Parent, J., 486
Petitot, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, 246, 248, 249, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254, 255, 256, 258, 259, 262, 263, 264, 265, 266, 267, 268, 269, 270, 273, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279, 280?, 281, 285, 291, 293, 306, 307, 309, 310, 311, 312, 315, 316, 318, 320, 321, 323, 324?, 326, 328, 330, 331, 333, 336, 488, 543?
Petitot the Younger, 308, 327
P. W., 89
Seuin, P., 90
Titian, 87
Zincke, C. F., 300, 305
XIV
THE
FRENCH
SCHOOL
CHAPTER XIV
THE FRENCH SCHOOL
A study of French miniature painters has led the present writer to
place their work on a higher level than has heretofore, perhaps, been
generally assigned to it, and has shown him that there have been not
a few but many French miniaturists of remarkable excellence, and that
they practised their art during a period which we are accustomed to
look upon as one of anarchy, of tumult, and of bloodshed; a fact which
is not only interesting in itself, but has the advantage of throwing
light upon the period also; on its life, and on the men and women
who played prominent parts during that eventful period of modern
history, for we find ample evidence that even during the Terror itself
the miniature painter was busy at work. In this respect, as in many
others, a recent exhibition of eighteenth century French Art, at the
Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, revealed much. Indeed, it may be said
that it was the most noteworthy event in connection with miniatures,
and the claims they have upon the notice of students of art, of
manners, and of costume, which has taken place for years.
It was recognised as a revelation by the learned authorities of the
French national library, who were responsible for its arrangement,
foremost amongst whom stood the late lamented Henri Bouchot, "Directeur
du département des Estampes," a gentleman to whose courtesy I have been
personally indebted, and whose critical acumen was well known.
It was, they said, a revelation; they spoke of it in relation to its
technical aspects more particularly. It brought to light a number of
French miniature painters whose ability was amply demonstrated, but
who were almost or quite unknown at the present day, even to their own
countrymen.
But the personality of these miniature painters and the remarkable
people who sat to them must not make us ignore some earlier men to whom
I shall now briefly refer.
In the first place I may call attention to the fact that, as might be
expected, a comparison between French painters-in-little and those of
Great Britain reveals some interesting differences, both technically
and in respect of the treatment of the subject. The latter differences,
which spring from national characteristics, will, I think, be brought
out as we come to deal with the work of the various artists, and I
shall not stop to enlarge upon them now.
At a time when we could boast in England of no native artist of
importance--hardly one, indeed, can be named, for Nicholas Hilliard was
not born until the middle of the sixteenth century--there was working
in France a family of artists known as the Clouets, who produced
portraiture of great excellence. What I have termed elsewhere the
tangled skein of the history of the Clouets would take a great deal of
unravelling. It is a subject to which foreign critics of eminence have
devoted much time and trouble. Without following all their researches
in detail, or professing to utter anything like the last word upon
an obscure and difficult subject, it may be said to have been proved
that the family was undoubtedly of Flemish extraction, and that they
were firmly established at the French Court at the beginning of the
sixteenth century. M. Laborde, in his "Renaissance des Arts à la Cour
de France," quotes a deed of gift of property which had escheated
to the Crown dated 1516, the second year of the reign of François
I., which shows that, at any rate, by that time the Clouets were
established in Royal favour.
[Illustration: L. SICARDI.
BENOIT BOULOUVARD DE SAINTE ALBINE AND SISTER.
(_M. le Comte Allard du Chollet._)]
The surname was probably originally Clouwet, and two members of the
family, father and son, have been commonly known as Janet. This
duplication of names, to say nothing of the varieties of spelling, has
led to a good deal of confusion in the attribution of works by these
artists. Among the latest authorities upon this subject I may quote my
friend M. Dimier, of Paris, who contributed a chapter to my book on the
portraiture of Mary Queen of Scots.[5]
[Footnote 5: "Concerning the True Portraiture of Mary Stuart."
Dickinsons, 1905.]
The subject has a significance of its own for French art critics as
throwing light upon the influences exerted upon French artists at the
period of the Renaissance--that is to say, whether the work by the
men of that time which has come down to us owes its highest artistic
qualities to Italian influence, to native genius, or to Flemish
influence. Critics are divided into two camps: those who stoutly
maintain the claims of the French artists to originality, and those who
are equally confident that it is to Italian influence we owe all that
is most attractive in French art of that period. M. Dimier has acutely
pointed out that whilst the Italian influence theory is anathema to
many, these same critics allow the assertion of Flemish influence to
pass without a protest.
Be all this as it may, it is quite clear that the vogue for portraiture
in France at the beginning of the sixteenth century was extraordinary.
Contemporary inventories show that drawings by the thousand must have
existed. They were kept in albums in the houses of the great, and many
collections are known. Catherine de Medici loved to have her children
painted, and M. Bonafflé has shown that her estate included more than
a hundred such portraits. There are numbers of these to be seen to-day
at Chantilly, the old home of the Condés, not the least interesting of
which is a series of eighty or ninety drawings in black and red chalk
that once belonged to the Earl of Carlisle and formed part of the
famous Castle Howard Collection.
Before leaving the Clouets, I may mention that a painting, measuring
sixty-one by fifty-three inches, of Henri II. was sold at Christie's
in January, 1905, for £2,500. Those who were fortunate enough to have
visited the Exhibition de Primitifs Français at Paris, in 1904, will
remember a number of interesting portraits attributed to the two
Clouets, of which they cannot have failed to admire the beautiful
portrait from the Louvre of Elizabeth of Austria. The original drawing
for this is in the Bibliothèque Nationale, and the existence of the two
works--that is, the crayon from nature and the beautifully finished
picture in oils--is interesting as showing the practice of the artist.
In the remarkable Exhibition just named the student will have made the
acquaintance of many names probably new to him, and can hardly have
failed to observe the number attributed to Corneille de Lyon, most of
them dated somewhere about 1548. This is an artist who has only of
late years won recognition. He, too, was a Fleming, but the only name
which can be assigned to him is Corneille. M. Dimier says he was a
native of the Hague who settled at Lyons. He surmises that the Royal
visits to Lyons in the year 1536 were productive of Royal patronage.
But M. Dimier appears to hold very conflicting views as to the merits
of this artist, and discovers great divergences in his style; thus he
says: "His [Corneille's] knowledge is so scanty that he can scarce fill
in his own feeble design; in the best of these pictures the bust and
shoulders are like students' work, and verge on the ridiculous"; yet
his texture, he says, elsewhere, "is delicate, limpid, and absolutely
fresh, the total effect the result of genius of a very small order."
But in a portrait of the Baron de Chateauneuf, which does, or did,
belong to Mr. Charles Butler, he finds work which he says is scarcely
unworthy of Holbein; "in depth of knowledge, boldness of execution,
and extreme beauty of colour this little work is a masterpiece, far and
away superior to anything which I have ascribed to the Janets," &c.
I have quoted these opinions at some length so that readers may judge
for themselves of the relative importance of this early artist, all of
whose work exhibited at the Exhibition de Primitifs was small in scale,
and most of it, I have reason to believe, new to some students of art.
When we leave the Court of the Valois we seem to come to a great gap in
our subject; and it is not until we arrive at the names of Petitot and
his followers, a subject which has already been dealt with in Chapter
VIII., that there is anything of importance to arrest our attention.
This book is in no sense a detailed history of miniature painting; it
merely aims at discussing some of the salient points of a wide subject;
and, therefore, I make no further apology for passing on to the work
which was executed in the eighteenth century, when several artists of
remarkable ability appear on the horizon. I propose to take a few of
the most eminent of these names, and to deal with them in chronological
order.
Following that classification, the amiable Rosalba Carriera will come
first. She was born in Venice in 1675; and though some would deny her
any extraordinary talent, certain it is that she achieved European
reputation. This lady must have possessed charming manners and very
endearing qualities, for she is reputed to have been plain in personal
appearance. Some ten or twelve years before her death, which
occurred in her native place in 1757, she became blind, and devoted
her means and the closing period of her life to works of charity.
She painted a good many miniatures, which are dispersed in various
collections, also landscapes. But probably her fame will rest most
securely upon her work in pastels, of which there are examples in the
Louvre; I recall two in the Salon des Pastels which are not unworthy
of the fine specimens of that kind of work which hang around them; and
that is high praise indeed, for, as every one knows, work in crayons
was carried by French artists of the eighteenth century to a pitch
of astonishing excellence; some of the portraits in that room by La
Tour, for example, can hardly be surpassed for truth to nature and
beauty of drawing; with almost the strength of oil paintings, they
have a character and charm peculiar to themselves. In landscape work
Rosalba earned great renown, though there are some who say that she was
over-praised in her day and by her generation.
[Illustration: P. P. PRUDHON.
MLLE. CONSTANCE MAYER.
(_Eudoxe-Marcille Collection._)]
Jean Baptiste Massé has been described as a link between seventeenth
and eighteenth century miniature painters. He was also an engraver, the
son of a Protestant goldsmith of Chateaudun, born in 1687. In spite
of his religion, the Regent obtained his admission to the Academy. He
worked in gouache and his style is said to have influenced Hall. The
portrait of Natoire here shown gives a good idea of his powers. He
lived till 1767.
In François Boucher, who was born just at the beginning of the century,
in 1704, and died in 1770, we have an artist of consummate ability,
whose renown does not depend upon his miniatures. He may be called
the decorative artist _par excellence_ of the century; but probably
many of the little nudities (of which there are a large collection
to be seen at Hertford House) which are attributed to Boucher are
really by Charlier and others of his followers. The learned editor
of the catalogue of the collection of French miniatures shown at the
Bibliothèque Nationale in 1906 is my authority for saying that some
of the miniatures which are signed Boucher are by Madame Boucher, not
the wife of our painter, but a lady bearing the same name. Thus the
connection of François Boucher with our subject appears to be slight,
and as his other work is so well known we need not stop to discuss him
further.
Jacques Charlier comes next to his master in point of date, having been
born in 1720. Very little biographical information is to be gleaned
about this artist; nevertheless he was extremely well known in his
time, and his genius, such as it was, appears to have been admirably
adapted to the taste of the day. Thus, the Comte de Caylus, the amateur
who has left us that valuable memoir of Watteau which the Goncourts
rescued from oblivion, is said to have possessed a hundred examples by
Charlier; and in 1772 the Prince de Conti commissioned him to paint a
dozen miniatures at 1,200 livres apiece. Louis XV. also extended his
patronage to Charlier, who painted upon boxes most of the members of
that monarch's family.
It would seem that after the death of Louis XV. Charlier's reputation
waned, and the value of his works diminished. He had a sale of his
productions which by no means answered his expectations, and shortly
afterwards he died. Hertford House can boast of a large number of works
attributed to Charlier; but, for the most part, they consist of the
familiar Toilet of Venus, nymphs bathing, and such-like subjects which
we are wont to associate with Boucher. But here and there will be found
a portrait--one of Madame Elizabeth of France, for instance.
The versatile Jean Honoré Fragonard, says M. Bouchot, painted
miniatures only for his amusement. This critic also attributes them
to Madame Fragonard. Be their authorship what it may, examples which
can be safely attributed to him are extremely rare and greatly sought
after. A representative one is to be seen in the Ashmolean Museum
at Oxford, and another is in the Wallace Collection.[6] Each may be
described as a portrait study of a young girl; in each the handling
is broad in the extreme, and resembles a freely painted water-colour
drawing in effect.
[Footnote 6: No. 183, in Gallery XI.]
I now come to a miniature painter proper, of the highest excellence,
viz., Pierre Adolphe Hall. He has been termed--and I, for one, should
agree with this verdict--the finest miniature painter of the eighteenth
century. The facility of his execution is simply marvellous; the
sweetness and tenderness of expression that he gives to his faces,
and the invariable refinement of his works, make them delightful. His
manner is entirely peculiar to himself, body colour being largely
used. The work is broad in style and effect, and yet the features are
often minute.
The career of this prolific artist was somewhat chequered; and although
he earned large sums of money by his brush--as much as twenty to thirty
thousand livres a year, it is said--he died in poverty, and left his
family in want. He was born at Stockholm, in 1736. When twenty-four
years of age he came to Paris to study; here he remained many years,
and married a Mlle. Godin, of Versailles, whose father was killed in
the Revolution. Gustavus III. wished Hall to return to Sweden; but he
had become so thoroughly French that he refused.
The Revolution sounded the knell of the artist's fortunes. Quitting
Paris, he started for the north, hoping to find employment and
commissions on the way; but at Liège he was seized with apoplexy, and
died there, in 1793.
In the Exhibition of Miniatures at the French National Library to
which I have several times referred, there were over fifty examples
attributed to Hall, many of superb quality and undoubted authenticity.
I do not mention the price obtained at auction as an infallible test of
the quality of a miniature, or of any other work of art--for fashion
reigns supreme in the sale-room as elsewhere; nevertheless, it is
perhaps worth recording that two miniatures by Hall, shown in this
collection, fetched the sum of 28,000 and 60,000 francs respectively,
one being a portrait of the Countess Helflinger, _née_ O'Dune--an
exquisitely soft and tender example, now belonging to M. Cognac; while
the other came from the Mülbacher Sale, and represented, not Louisa,
Queen of Prussia, as was wrongly stated in Swedish on the back of the
frame, but probably, since the portrait is entirely French in style,
that of Mlle. Dugazon in the character of _Nina_, as may be seen by a
comparison with an engraving of the subject by Janinet after Houin,
and the portrait by Mme. Vigée le Brun of the famous actress which now
belongs to the Comtesse de Pourtales.
[Illustration: J. B. AUGUSTIN.
PORTRAIT OF A LADY.
(_M. Ed. Taigny._)]
[Illustration: J. GUÉRIN.
PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG LADY.
(_Mme. de Sainte Martin Valogne._)]
The year after Hall, was born in Stockholm another Swedish artist,
destined to attain great popularity in France, and, like his greater
compatriot, to fall into neglect, was Nicolas Lavreince, or, to give
him his proper name, Nicolas Lanfransen.
When about thirty years of age he came to Paris to pursue his studies,
and the work of his dainty, minute, not always too decorous brush was
just suited to the taste of the people for whom he worked and amongst
whom he lived. He, too, like Hall, drew _Nina_, and the Dugazon in the
_rôle_ of _Babet_, and the Du Barry of course; all of whom were to be
seen in the Bibliothèque Nationale a year or two ago, each portrait
being marked by extreme delicacy of touch and minuteness of finish.
It must be owned that there is an extraordinary charm about the work
of this artist, apart from its merits of execution; but it is a charm
difficult to put into words. They have not the unreality of the _fêtes
galantes_, nor the domesticity of our Francis Wheatley, but something
between the two, something of the daintiness of Watteau combined with
the homeliness of the English artist.
He worked a good deal in body colour, and his gouaches have been
engraved in colour and in black and white by Janinet and Vidal. Many of
these, such as "La Comparaison," "L'Aveu Difficile," "L'Indiscrétion,"
are very celebrated, and now of extreme value; while another, "Le petit
Conseil," is a print of great rarity. Probably driven away by the
Revolution, Lavreince, like Hall, quitted Paris, and died at Stockholm,
in 1807, at which date, according to M. Bouchot, his art had fallen
into complete discredit.
Antoine Vestier, born in 1740, is recognised as an oil painter, and
was received into the French Academy in 1786. He is said to have
rivalled Mme. Vigée le Brun and Roslin, and loved to adorn his sitters
with ribbons and satins. Nevertheless, he was a miniature painter,
and exhibited in the Salon excellent work of the kind, marked by good
colour and careful execution. He lived on until the end of the first
quarter of the nineteenth century, and had a daughter, Nicole Vestier,
who was also a miniature painter. She married Dumont, himself a
distinguished artist, of whom I shall have something to say later on.
Another artist who devoted special pains to his draperies, and has been
called the Roslin of miniature painting, was Jean Laurent Mosnier, born
in Paris, in 1746. Mosnier was made an Academician two years after
Vestier, but did not long survive, dying in 1795. French critics place
his work on a level with that of Augustin or Dumont. His comparatively
early death may account for the rarity of his miniatures, which are
extremely scarce and much sought after nowadays, being distinguished
by excellent taste and brilliant finish, especially, as I have said, in
the painting of the draperies.
In the same year as the last-named artist, Luc Sicard, or, as he was
sometimes called, Sicardi, was born. He was a native of Avignon, and
one of the best miniature painters of his day. The delicacy of his
flesh tones, the precision of his execution, and his attention to the
most minute details made his work especially adapted for _boits aux
portraits_; and he was officially attached to the Ministry for Foreign
Affairs, to assist in the production of these _cadeaux diplomatiques_,
for which he was wont to be paid 300 livres apiece. Hence many
portraits of the French Royalty of his time were executed by him.
There is a lovely example of his delicate handling in the Wallace
Collection (reproduced in my "Miniature Painters"); and the fine
example given in this volume, the portraits of Benoit Boulouvard and
Françoise du Plain de Ste. Albine, gives a good idea of his style,
though it cannot convey the colouring which is especially charming
in the latter example. Thus, the girl wears a citron-coloured ribbon
in her beautifully painted hair, her dress is of a tender pale
greenish-blue, her lips fresh and red; her dark eyes contrast with a
pale complexion of the utmost purity, while the boy's deep blue eyes
contrast with his warm brown hair. Sicardi died in the same year as
Mosnier, namely 1825.
Another provincial artist of about this period was Claude Jean Baptiste
Houin, a native of Dijon, where he died, as Conservateur du Musée,
in 1817. His work, too, is much sought after now. He was a pupil of
Devosge and Greuze, and also painted in pastel.
M. Rouvier, who was born in 1750 and died in the year of Waterloo, is
a man whose work appears to have won recognition in his own time, a
contemporary writer speaking of it as possessing likeness, good colour,
and harmony; but, perhaps owing to the rarity of examples by him, he
may be said to be almost unknown to the present generation. There were
four notable miniatures by him in the Alphonse Kann Collection, dated
1780 and 1781. They are marked by beautiful handling and distinction of
style.
In François Dumont we have, it is generally allowed, one of the
foremost miniature painters that France can boast of, worthy of being
ranked with Isabey and Augustin, and, like both of them, a native of
Lorraine. In the Exhibition, which was so valuable as an exposition of
what the French school was capable of, there were a large number of
works by Dumont, comprising Marie Antoinette, painted in 1774, and many
portraits of the period of the Revolution. There is a certain sobriety
and moderation about the work of Dumont which conveys a sense of solid
value, sometimes rising to a height of character painting of extreme
vigour, and sometimes, in his women's portraits, marked by great
delicacy of face, hair and drapery painting.
The career of Dumont is a notable instance of the triumph of genius and
industry. He was left an orphan, with six brothers and sisters, and
when only eighteen years of age quitted his native place, Luneville,
and came to Paris as a portrait painter. After ten or twelve years'
work he had so far succeeded as to be able to go to Rome, in 1784,
where he established a reputation which led to his being appointed the
"miniaturiste attitré" of the Italian Court. He was made an Academician
when only thirty-seven, and the King gave him Cochin's rooms in the
Louvre. The year the Revolution broke out he married Nicole Vestier;
and from that time on till 1824 Dumont's contributions to the Salon
were regular and numerous.
[Illustration: L. F. AUBRY.
MME. HENRI BELMONT.
(_M. de Richter._)]
There is a comparatively large collection of his works to be seen at
the Louvre, bequeathed by Dr. Gillet. It may be noted that he had a
brother, Laurent Nicolas Antoine, called Tony, who painted miniatures,
signed "Dumont," at Paris. Some critics are inclined to attribute a
certain heaviness of style to Dumont, which may be the excess of the
solid qualities that I spoke of; and this charge is somewhat borne out
by the examples to be seen at the Louvre.
The _lourdeur_ of Dumont passes into leatheriness in the work of Louis
Lié Périn, his flesh painting being greatly inferior to that of his
master, Sicardi. Périn came to Paris to earn his living as a miniature
painter in 1778. Ruined by the Assignats in 1799, he returned to his
native place, Rheims, where he followed his father's trade of woollen
manufacturer; but he continued to paint during the Empire, and died in
1817.
In Pierre Paul Prudhon (1758-1823) we have an artist indeed, but not,
strictly speaking, a miniature painter, for his work in this manner
was but little. Nevertheless, there is one celebrated example of his
powers, viz., the portrait of Mlle. Constance Mayer, from the Eudoxe
Marcille Collection. The tragic end of this pupil and friend of Prudhon
is well known. The face is marked by the sensibility which was the
distinguishing charm of that ill-fated lady and artist. There is a
large drawing of the same subject in the Louvre (reproduced in my
recent work on "Eighteenth Century French Art"), remarkable for force
and character.
Jean Baptiste Jacques Augustin (1759-1832) has long enjoyed a
reputation as one of the greatest miniature painters produced by
France; but it was reserved for the Exhibition brought together at
the Bibliothèque Nationale in 1906 to show the extent and surpassing
quality of some of his work. From the collections of Baron Schlichting
and Alphonse Kann, from the Doistau Collection, and last, but not
least, from Mr. Pierpont Morgan, came nearly fifty works. The quality
of these varied a good deal, some being almost coarse and bricky in
colour, whilst others, notably some sketches, with small heads, which
came from Augustin's heirs, were amongst the most wonderful things I
have ever seen in art of this nature. It would be impossible to convey
an adequate idea of the marvellous expression, delicacy, and finish
combined in the heads in these sketches, which were not larger than a
pea. In another specimen of his powers in the same collection might
be seen the most delicate tones of flesh painting imaginable. In the
Wallace Collection are nine or ten Augustins, including Jérome and
Napoleon Bonaparte and Marie Louise. The most attractive of them all is
a young lady in a white bodice, with a leopard skin hanging round her
_décolleté_ figure. She has a most vivacious and winning expression. It
is dated 1824.
Augustin arrived in Paris some eight years before the outbreak of the
Revolution; he lived to paint Napoleon at the height of his greatness,
say, about 1810, Joséphine, Pauline, and others of the Bonaparte
family, and died of cholera in 1832. Between 1781 and 1800, when he was
married, he painted upwards of three hundred and sixty portraits, some
miniatures and some in oils. His wife became his pupil, and is said to
have almost equalled her husband. She lived till 1865, and her work is
often confounded with that of her husband, whose method of working and
artistic tendencies she thoroughly understood and embraced.
It has been said of Augustin that he was the traditional descendant
of the old missal painters; and a portrait by him of Denon in enamel
recalls, according to M. Bouchot, the best work of Fouquet, of Clouet,
or Nanteuil. I should have said that, compared with the two latter
painters, he was far their superior when at his best. For delineation
of character, minute detail, and brilliant, if somewhat hard, finish,
Augustin's work would hold its own in comparison with much of the
finest medieval missal-painting, which, indeed, it instinctively
recalls. Although, consciously or unconsciously, Augustin's work
may have been influenced by the study of medieval work, with its
brilliancy, formality, and patience, amongst the fifty pieces from his
hand shown in Paris a considerable variety of treatment might be found,
some of it being large and bold in style, as, for example, a portrait
of the sculptor Calamard.
J.-B. J. Augustin must not be confounded with that Augustin Dubourg who
signed his work "Augustin." Dubourg's work is not met with after 1800;
it is said that he was a cousin of the better-known man, and came from
the same town, namely St. Dié in the Vosges.
A contemporary of Augustin, born in the same year and dying in the
same year, was Charles Guillaume Alexandre Bourgeois. His effective
manner of rendering a portrait may be said to be peculiar to himself,
he treating them as medallions, and painting the head in profile on
a black ground, which greatly added to their effect. Although this
seems to have been Bourgeois's favourite method of portraiture, it was
not his invariable practice; and when, leaving the marble whiteness
and medal-like effect of his ordinary method, he set himself to
paint flesh tones and the fair skin and rounded contours of youth,
he was equally successful. He is said to have been very proficient
in practical chemistry, and published several works on the subject.
Although he exhibited in the Salon from 1800 to 1824, his work is
rare, and examples fetch a high price. A peculiarity I have noted in
his treatment is that the eyes in his women's portraits are invariably
large and the eyes lashes curled to an unnatural degree. I should
say that his men are not as well painted as his women. The medallion
style that he affects makes his work particularly suitable for
insertion in boxes.
[Illustration: J. B. ISABEY.
BY HIMSELF.
(_M. Ed. Taigny._)]
In concluding these remarks upon the French school of miniature
painters, I come to a very distinguished name, that of Isabey, with
which two other artists may be grouped as pupils or companions; and we
will take the latter first; they are Jean Guérin and Louis François
Aubry.
Guérin was born in 1760, and was a companion of Isabey in David's
studio. His abilities must have been early recognised at Court, as he
painted the King and Queen, and, later, many of the celebrities of the
Assemblée; he also lived to paint Joséphine Bonaparte in Court costume.
His portrait of General Kléber is perhaps the best known miniature
in the Louvre, and is a work of astonishing virility and force of
character. It was exhibited in the Salon of 1798, and he made many
copies of it. Although his men's portraits are remarkable for their
searching modelling, he was equally successful with the portraits of
women and children, which he painted with _naïveté_ and tenderness.
The other associate of Isabey was Louis François Aubry, a Parisian,
born in 1767, who lived till the middle of the nineteenth century.
Contemporary criticism assigned to this artist the ability to imitate
his master Isabey, and to rival him in delicacy of brush and fidelity
of likeness. Although he exhibited for over thirty years at the Salon,
there is nothing by him in the Wallace Collection, and I only recall
one in the Louvre, and that is a large miniature, painted with great
care, representing a lady playing a harp. It is highly finished
throughout, and recalls the best work of Augustin. I should say that he
excelled in what may be called full-dress pictures, somewhat conscious,
not to say affected, in pose, but excellent work of high technical
quality. Aubry was at his zenith during the Restoration; he lived till
1851, and for many years had an _atelier_ in Paris frequented by male
and female students.
In some respects Jean Baptiste Isabey is the most remarkable name in
the annals of French miniature painting. He was _persona grata_ to
successive monarchs, having been _peintre attitré_ to Napoleon, to the
Allies, to Louis XVIII., and to Charles X. But the commencement of this
artist's career can be taken much farther back, seeing that it was the
admiration of Marie Antoinette for his work upon _boites decorées_ that
led to his first royal patronage, and resulted in his being installed
at Versailles before he was of age. From that time, the very eve of the
Revolution, until 1855 he produced a long series of portraits of all
the most distinguished personages of his time.
The Wallace Collection is especially rich in his work, there being
nearly thirty examples by his hand. With Napoleon I. he was a special
favourite, and, as I have said, several of his portraits of the Emperor
may be seen at Hertford House, representing him in full Imperial
costume, in academic dress, with Joséphine, and otherwise. And there,
too, may be seen two portraits of the Duke of Wellington from his
hand. But this collection is especially rich in portraits of ladies of
the Empire and Restoration, to depict whose charms he adopted a style
of his own, known to French critics as _portraits sous voile_. These
ladies are touched in with a light hand and with the freedom of a
water-colour sketch.
This manner of painting, in which he may be said to have set the
fashion, is the very antithesis in style to that of his master David;
but the rigorous training of that severe draughtsman enabled Isabey,
when he chose, to paint with a precision and minute finish which is
the _ne plus ultra_ of such work. This was shown in a large piece,
twenty-three by seventeen centimetres, exhibited in Paris in 1906, and
representing the children of Joachim Murat, and Caroline of Naples
_déjeunant sur l'herbe_. This, I do not hesitate to say, is the most
extraordinary piece of work of its kind that I have ever seen. It is
a group of several children in velvet dresses of the period, and a
certain quality of velvety softness marks the execution. The attention
to detail is microscopic; all the accessories of the little picnic
party are painted with elaborate care; the stalk of the flowers in the
dessert dish, the tiny finger-nails of the children, are all treated
as if the artist's reputation depended upon the fidelity with which he
represented them. It is a veritable _tour de force_ of finish; but such
is the brilliant and luminous way in which he has handled it that there
is nothing hard or laboured in its effect, in spite of the immense
amount of work it must have entailed.
In this particular example there is a quality recalling the finest
Flemish work; and yet, as Isabey came to the capital, as we have seen,
before he was twenty-one years of age, he can hardly have been subject
to Flemish influences; I should attribute it to the influence of David
and the classical school. The group I have been describing is not
dated, but clearly belongs to the halcyon days of the Empire.
It may have been the demands made upon the time of Isabey, owing to his
numberless commissions, that made him adopt the less laboured style
of most of the portraits of ladies which may be seen at the Wallace
Collection--that is, his latest manner--which is so entirely different
from the group of Murat's children as to make one almost doubt at first
sight that it can have proceeded from the same hand.
I had intended to close this notice upon the French painters with
Isabey, who, as he lived to be nearly ninety, seems to be linked on
almost to our own times; but there are two or three others to whom I
must briefly refer, of whom the Italian Ferdinand Quaglia is one.
He was born in 1780, and was established in Paris in 1805, where,
having obtained the patronage of Joséphine Beauharnais, he became
a Court painter. A miniature of the Empress by him may be seen at
Hertford House; it is probably a replica, as it is dated 1814, and
she was divorced five years earlier. Quaglia's work is marked by high
finish, but it is uninteresting, and his style sometimes approaches the
smoothness of porcelain, which detracts from its artistic value.
Another artist who clearly enjoyed the French Imperial patronage was
C. Chatillon, as is shown by the beautiful portrait of Napoleon in his
coronation robe and wearing the laurel wreath of victory, which adorns
this volume. The original is in the collection of his Grace the Duke of
Wellington.
Daniel Saint was an excellent artist, though not, perhaps, of the first
rank; there are several examples of his work in the Wallace Collection,
and he may be regarded as the successor of Augustin and Dumont.
Lastly, I may mention J. Mansion, who painted many charming portraits
of the period of the Restoration, as may be seen at Hertford House.
He was associated with the Sèvres factory, but his quality as a
portrait painter is amply vindicated in the Wallace Collection. His
work was probably largely influenced by Isabey, whose style it closely
resembles.
CONCLUSION
The practice of the art of Miniature Painting has now been traced
through several centuries, from its origin in the cloister, to its
enthronement on the hearth and place of honour in mid-Victorian homes.
These pages will have been written to little purpose if they have not
amply demonstrated the truth of what Dr. Johnson has finely said of
the art, namely, that it is "so valuable in diffusing friendship, in
reviving tenderness, in awakening the affections of the absent, and
continuing the presence of the dead."
I have quoted these words elsewhere; but none that I am acquainted with
so aptly express the personal interest pertaining to miniatures, which
strikes a deep and vibrant note, one which, when joined to exquisite
work, as we have seen it to be in the case of so many examples of the
older masters, lends an indefinable charm to miniatures, and makes them
amongst the most cherished of human possessions.
Thus much, then, as regards the past. The future progress of this
fascinating art it will be for others to chronicle, if, and when, it
regains an importance which warrants a record.
At present all good judges agree that, in spite of the number of those
who are practising as miniature painters, the standard reached is most
disappointing. The reason for this unsatisfactory state of affairs I
shall leave my readers to determine for themselves, for I may be told
that in talking about old miniatures it is no concern of mine to point
out, and still less to dwell upon, the merits or otherwise of recent
examples. Nevertheless, as one who has studied the subject somewhat
closely for many years, I may be allowed to express the conviction that
the deficiencies so painfully apparent in modern work are mainly due to
the want of thorough artistic training.
Miniature painting is too often taken up much as ladies take up some
new kind of "fancy-work" (as they term it). Want of success--due to
lack of knowledge and lack of experience--soon leads to discouragement.
Thus the persistent practice which led to success in other days is
wanting, and the artist's powers never reach their full development.
If this be true, and I think it is, the remedy for it, as far as the
artists are concerned, may be found in more careful training and in
patient devotion to work.
But then, the public who employ them must play their part. They must
show greater refinement of taste, and learn to discriminate; to reject
what is bad or indifferent, and realise that good work cannot be cheap
work, that it demands and is entitled to adequate remuneration.
It should be the task of each successive generation to see that the
art of miniature painting is encouraged. Miniatures must be taken
seriously, not regarded as mere bric-à-brac or trifles. I repeat,
we must insist upon a high standard. We have a goodly heritage of
beautiful work of unique historical value handed down to us, and it is
a duty to perpetuate this series, so that the "fair women and brave
men" of our own days shall not go unrepresented; and thus shall we add
our share to the treasures of our national art and earn the gratitude
of posterity.
INDEX
A
Amber, Millicent, wife of William Cobden, 256, 257
Amsterdam, Liotards at, 218
Anglo-Celtic, _see_ Hibernian
_Arlaud_, 28
Ashmolean Museum, miniatures at, 83
_Aubrey, L. F._, 355
Audley, Lady, by Holbein, 286
_Augustin, J. B. J._, quality of his work, 350, 351;
examples of, in Wallace Collection, 310, 351;
his career, 351
_Augustin, J. B. J., Madame_, 351
B
Barbor jewel, the, 315
Battersea enamels, 89
Belvoir, miniatures at, 298
Bessborough family, owners of Liotards, 218
_Betts, J. & T._, 28, 105, 106, 109
Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, Janets at, 288
_Biffin, Miss_, 35
_Boit, Charles_, 83
Bonaparte, Napoleon I., 308
Bonaparte, Caroline, 308
Bonaparte, Jerome, 308
Bonaparte, Louis, 308
Bonaparte, Pauline, 308
_Bone, Henry_, 30, 90
_Bone, Henry Pierce_, 30, 93
_Bone, W._, 30, 93
_Bone, C. R._, 30, 93
_Bone, P. J._, 31
_Bordier, Jacques_, 75, 198, 201
_Bordier, Pierre_, 76, 201
_Boucher, François_, 308, 337
_Boucher, Madame_, 338
_Bourgeois, C. G. A._, 352
Brandon, Alicia, wife of N. Hilliard, 297
Brandon, Charles and Henry, sons of the Duke of Suffolk, by Holbein, 282
British Museum, enamels at, 73
Buccleuch Collection of Miniatures, the, 22, 118, 122, 140, 143, 149, 160, 293-95, 300
Burdett-Coutts Collection, 298, 299
Byzantine work, 66, 69
C
Camargo, La, portrait of, 309
Canterbury Gospels, 53
Carlisle, Earl of, his collection, 206
Carlovingian school, 53
_Carriera, Rosalba_, 334;
her character, 334;
her pastels, 337
_Carter, W._, 35
Catherine of Braganza, by Cooper, at Victoria and Albert Museum, 316
_Chalon, A. E._, R.A., 31, 271
_Chalon, J. J._, R.A., 31
_Chalon, Miss M. A._, 31
_Chalon, H. B._, 31
Chantilly, works by Janet at, 110, 288;
reference to, 332
Charles I., his collection of miniatures, 22;
his miniature by Petitot, 206
Charles II., by Cooper, 183, 291, 309;
by Flatman, in the Wallace Collection, 309;
his miniature by Petitot, 206
Charlemagne, 53
_Charlier_, patronised by Louis XV., 338;
examples of, at Hertford House, 306, 339
Charlotte, Queen, by O. Humphrey, 252, 292
_Chatillon, C._, 359
_Chavant, Mlle._, imitator of Petitot, 202
_Chinnery, George_, 247
Claypole, Elizabeth, 294, 297
Clive, Lord and Lady, portraits of, 247
_Clouet_, works by, 333
Cobden family, miniatures of, 256
Cobden, William, 256
Cobden, Richard, 256
Cobden, Richard Brooks, 259
Cobden Unwin, Mrs., miniatures belonging to, 256-59
_Collins, Richard_, 31
_Collins, Samuel_, 31, 221, 251
_Constantin, Moïse_, imitator of Petitot, 202
_Cooper, Samuel_, 31, 57;
Evelyn's reference to, 50;
his birth and career, 175;
Pepys's admiration for him, 176;
money value attaching to his miniatures, 179;
his portraits of the Protector's family, 179, 180;
merits of his work criticised, 183;
examples in the Royal Collection, 186;
at Montague House, 294;
at Welbeck, 297;
at Kensington, 314;
at Victoria and Albert Museum, 315, 319
_Cooper, Alexander_, 31;
rarity of his work, 186;
his death, 186;
his inferiority to S. Cooper, 187
_Corneille de Lyon_, 333
_Cosway, Richard_, 31;
his reputation, 232;
his eccentricities, 232;
his career, 235;
his training and dexterity, 235;
the number of his works, 236;
and of forgeries of the same, 236;
a great collector, 238;
his marriage, 238;
his character, 242;
his technique, 245;
his portrait of the Duchess of Devonshire, 292;
his works at Victoria and Albert Museum, 314
_Cosway, Maria_, reference to, 31;
her parentage and marriage, 238;
her ability as a painter, 238, 241;
separates from her husband, 241;
retires to Italy and dies, 242
_Courtois, Jehan_, 70
Cromwell, Oliver, by S. Cooper, at Montague House, 294
_Crosse, Lawrence_, 31;
his style of painting, 218;
examples at Welbeck, 298
_Crosse, Richard_, 31
Cuper, Madeleine and Margaret, 79
D
Dartrey, Lord, collection of, 80, 201
Dauphin, Janet's portrait of, 287
Davis, Mary, by S. Cooper, 297
_Day, Alexander_, 31
_Day, Thomas_, 31
_Dayes, Edward_, 31
_de Court, Suzanne_, 70
_de Heere, Lucas_, 101
_de la Chana, Alexandre_, imitator of Petitot, 202
_Derby, Alfred_, 31
_Derby, William_, 31, 221
Devonshire, Duchess of, portrait of, 238
Dickinson Gallery, exhibitions of miniatures at, 264, 299
Digbys, the, portraits of, 150, 153, 154, 299
Dimier, M., on the Clouets, 331;
on Corneille de Lyon, 333
_Dixon, John_, 31;
engraver, 31;
examples of, in the Buccleuch Collection, 297
_Dixon, N._, 31, 32
_Downman, John_, A.R.A., 268
Drake, Admiral, by S. Cooper, 297
_Dubourg, Augustin_, 352
_Dudman, W._, miniature painter, 256
_Dufey_, copyist of Petitot, 202
_Dumont, F._, his career, 346;
character of his work, 349
_Dumont, Laurent N. A._, 349
Du Thé, Mlle., portrait of, 309
Dyce Collection at Victoria and Albert Museum, 315
E
_Edridge, Henry_, A.R.A., 268;
his copies of Reynolds and drawings, _ibid._
Edward VI., by Hilliard, 286
Enamels, early use of, 65;
_cloisonné_, 66;
_champlevé_, 69;
Limoges, 70
_Engleheart, George_, 32;
his origin, 255;
characteristics of his style, 255;
number of his works, 255;
their rarity in our public collections, 256
_Engleheart, J. C. D._, 37
_Essex, William_, 32, 93, 315
_Essex, William B._, 32
Ethelwald, Benedictional of, 56
F
_Felu, C. F._, 35
_Ferrier, F._, 32
_Ferrier, L._, 32
_Ferrand, J. P._, imitator of Petitot, 202
Fitzherbert, Mrs., by R. Cosway, 309
_Flatman, T._, example of, in Dyce Collection, 316
_Foldsome, Miss_, _see_ Mee
_Forster, Thomas_, portraits of Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, 314
_Fragonard, J. H._, examples of, 310, 339
_Fragonard, Madame_, works by, 310
French School, as shown at Hertford House, 307;
its excellence, 327
G
Gardiner Collection, 79
_Geddes_, portrait of A. Plimer by, 246
George III., patronises Humphrey, 252;
patronises Engleheart, 255
George IV., miniature of, 245
_Gibson, Richard_, 32
_Gibson, Penelope_, 32
_Gibson, William_, 32
_Goupey, Louis_, 32
_Goupey, Joseph_, 32
_Goupey, Bernard_, 32
_Green, Mrs. Mary_, 32
_Green, Robert_, 32
_Gribelin, Isaac_, 74
_Grimaldi, W._, copy by, 309
_Guérin, J._, 355;
his career, 355;
his portrait of Kléber, 355
Gunning, Elizabeth, Duchess of Hamilton, 222
Gunning, Maria, Countess of Coventry, 222
H
_Hall, P. A._, 80;
his portrait of Marie Antoinette, 205;
works by, 307;
at Hertford House, 310;
facility of his execution, 339;
characteristics of his work, 339;
his career, 340;
high price fetched by his work, 340
Hamilton, Lady Elizabeth, 222
_Hargreaves, Thomas_, 267
_Haughton_ (or _Houghton_), _Moses_, 32
_Hayter, Charles_, 32, 271
_Hayter, Sir George_, 32
_Hazlitt, William_, 242
_Heins, D._, 32
_Heins, John_, 32
_Henderson, R._, 57
Henrietta, Duchess of Orleans, by Petitot, 299
Henry VII., by Hilliard, 286
Henry VIII., by Holbein, 285;
by Hilliard, 286
Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, miniature of, 36;
by I. Oliver, 288
Henry, Duke of Gloucester, by S. Cooper, 314
Hertford House Collection, _see_ Wallace
Hibernian School of Manuscript, 53
_Hiles, Bartram_, 35
_Hilliard, Nicholas_, 32;
his manner of painting, 39;
birth and parentage, 127;
employed by Elizabeth, _ibid._;
his death, 131;
examples of his work, _ibid._, 136-44, 286, 288, 297, 314;
his method of painting and merits, 132-36
_Hilliard, Lawrence_, 32, 128, 131
_Holbein, Hans, the Younger_, the founder of miniature painting in England, visits Sir Thomas More, 113;
portraits by him, 114;
taken into the service of Henry VIII., _ibid._;
collection of drawings and miniatures by, at Windsor, _ibid._, 118, 282;
at Hertford House, 309;
other works by, 121, 122
Holmes, Sir Richard, on the Royal Collection, 281, 282, 287
_Hone, Nathaniel_, R.A., 32, 84, 87
_Hone, Horace_, A.R.A., 32, 87
_Hopkins, Thomas_, 33
_Hopkins, William_, 33
_Horneband Family_, 102
_Hoskins, John_, 32;
his career, his pupils, 166;
examples of work, 167;
his merits as a miniature painter, 167, 168;
his death, 169
_Houin, C. J. B._, 345
Howard, Katherine, 282
_Hudson, Thomas_, Master of Cosway, 235
Hughes, Madame, by S. Cooper, 297
_Humphrey, Ozias_, R.A., his qualities as a miniature painter, 248;
compared with Plimer and Smart, 251;
his origin and career, a pupil of Collins, 251;
goes to Italy, 252;
and India, 251;
his prices, 251;
examples of his powers as a copyist at Knole, 255;
beauty of his work, 292;
his portrait of Queen Charlotte, 292
_Hurter, the Brothers_, 80
I
_Isabey, J. B._, his portrait of Napoleon I., 308;
painter to successive monarchs, 356;
examples at Hertford House, 310, 356;
diverse nature of his work, 357, 358
J
James II., by Cooper, 291;
by Petitot, 206, 299, 300
_Janet, François_, his family, 109, 331;
his work at Windsor, 287;
by members of his family, 333
_Jansen, S. J._, 89
Jennings, Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, by B. Lens, 319
Jones Collection, 76-80, 148, 156, 193;
index of portraits in, 320-24
Joséphine, Empress, portraits of, 307
K
Kells, book of, 53
Kensington, Loan Collection at in 1865, 131, 143, 144
L
_Lambert_, imitator of Petitot, 202
_Laudin_, 70
_Lavreince, Nicholas_, 343;
his career and nature of his work, 344
Leczinska, Marie, portrait of, 308
_Legarré, Jules_, 207
_Lens, Bernard_, 32;
examples of, at Welbeck, 248
_Lens, Andrew B._, 32
_Lens, Peter P._, 32
_Lens_ family, 218
_Limousin, Lenard_, 70
_Limousin, Jean_, 70
_Limousin, Joseph_, 70
_Limousin, François_, 70
_Linnell, John_, 268
_Liotard, J. E._, his work criticised, examples at Amsterdam and Paris, 218
_Loggan, David_, portrait of Sir G. Verney, 314
Louis XV., portrait of, 308
Louis XVI., portrait of, 308
Louis XVII., portrait of, 308
Louis XVIII., portrait of, 308
Louvre, enamels at, 73, 206;
snuff-boxes, 80, 205;
Le Noir Collection, 205;
Liotards at, 218
M
_Mansion, J._, works by, 310;
at Hertford House, 313, 350
Marie Louise, portraits of, 307
Mary, Queen of Scots, portraits of, 109, 110, 143, 287
_Massé, J. B._, 337
Mayerne, Sir T. de, 75, 194
Medici, Catherine de, 332
_Mee, Mrs._, 268
_Meyer, Jeremiah_, R.A., 87, 88, 315
Milton, John, by S. Cooper, 297
Miniatures, on the collecting of, 22;
forgeries of, 27, 237;
on the care and preservation of, 36-42;
painted on several pieces of ivory, 41;
origin of the art, 45-57;
and of the term, 49;
method of painting, 58-62
Miniature painters, early, 97
Miniature painting, its long history, 363;
importance of perpetuating it, 364, 365
Monck, George, by Cooper, 183, 291
Monmouth, Duke of, by Cooper, 183, 291;
by Dixon, 297
_More, Sir A._, 105
_Moser, G. M._, R.A., 33, 87
_Moser, Joseph_, 33
_Moser, Mary_, 33, 88
_Mosnier, J. L._, 344
_Muss, Charles_, 84
N
Napoleonic period illustrated at Hertford House, 307
_Netscher, Gaspar_, 218
_Newton, Richard_, 33
_Newton, Sir William J._, 32, 41, 271;
the number of his works, _ibid._;
example at Victoria and Albert Museum, 315
_Nixon, James_, 221
O
_O'Keefe, Daniel_, 33
_O'Keefe, John_, 33
_Oliver, Isaac_, 33;
the Oliver family, 147;
examples of Isaac Oliver's work, 149-160
_Oliver, Peter_, 33;
his parentage and family, 161;
his copies ofold masters, 165;
his death, 161;
example at Victoria and Albert Museum, 314
Olivers, the, in Burdett-Coutts Collection, 298, 299
P
Pala d'oro, 69
_Périn, Louis L._, 349
_Perrot_, copyist of Petitot, 202
_Petitot, Jean_, 24, 74, 75, 79;
his origin, 194;
his arrival in England, _ibid_;
introduction to Charles I., and friendship with Van Dyck, 197;
takes refuge in Paris, _ibid._;
his numerous portraits of Louis XIV., 198;
quits France and settles at Geneva, _ibid._;
his death at Vevey, _ibid._;
his copyists, 202;
fine examples of his work, 206, 299;
number of, in Jones Collection, 316
_Petitot Fils_, 201;
inferiority of his work to that of the elder Petitot, _ibid._
_Plimer, Andrew_, 33, 245;
parentage, 33, 245;
death, 246;
his portrait in the Scottish National Gallery, 246;
his group of the Rushout girls, 246;
examples of, at Victoria and Albert Museum, 314
_Plimer, Nathaniel_, 33, 245;
exhibits at Royal Academy, 245
_Plott, John_, 87
Plumley Collection at Victoria and Albert Museum, 315
Pompadour, portrait of, 308
_Pope, Alexander_, miniature painter and poet, 33
Portland, Duke of, his collection, 297;
Coopers in, 298
Portsmouth, Duchess of, by Cooper, 297
Powis, earl of, collection of, 247
_Prewitt, W._, 84
Primitifs Français, Exhibition of, 332, 334
Propert, Dr., on forgeries, 236, 237
_Prudhon, P. P._, 350
Q
_Quaglia, F._, 358
R
Radnor, Earl of, collection of, 241
_Raeburn, Sir Henry_, 268
Raleigh, Sir Walter, and his son at Belvoir, 298
Ramolino, Madame, portrait of, 307
_Reymond, Pierre_, 70
_Reynolds, Sir Joshua_, P.R.A., referred to, 235, 251, 255
_Robertson, Andrew_, his origin, 33, 263;
his varied talents, 263;
comes to London and makes B. West his patron, 264;
characteristics of his work, 264;
his death and character, 264
_Robertson, Archibald_, 33
_Robertson, Alexander_, 33
_Robertson, Mrs. A._, 33
_Robertson, Walter_, 34
_Robertson, Charles_, 34
Rome, King of, portrait of, 308
_Romney, George_, goes to Italy with Humphrey, 252
_Ross, H._, 34, 276
_Ross, Mrs._, 34
_Ross, H., Junr._, 34
_Ross, Miss Maria_, 34
_Ross, Miss Magdalene_, 34
_Ross, Sir William Charles_, R.A., 34;
his birth and parentage, 275;
his precocity, 275;
is patronised by Royalty, 275;
the great number of his works, 275;
characteristics of his style, 276;
many examples in the Royal Collection, _ibid._, 292;
examples of, at Victoria and Albert Museum, 315
_Rouvier, M._, 346
Rouvigny, Rachel de, her portrait, 197
Rupert, Prince, by Dixon, 297
Rushout, the Misses, Plimer's miniature of, 246, 247
Rutland, Duke of, his collection, 298
S
_Sadler, Thomas_, 34
_Sadler, William_, 34
_Saint, D._, 359
_Saunders, George L._, 34
_Saunders, Joseph_, 34
_Saunders, R._, 34
Schreiber Collection, 89
Seymour, Jane, by Hilliard, 286
Sheepshanks Gallery, _see_ Victoria and Albert
_Shelley, Samuel_, 221
Sheridan, Mrs., 251
_Sherlock, William_, 34
Shipley's Drawing School, 235, 247
_Sicardi_, or _Sicard, L._, 345;
charm of his colouring, 345;
example at Hertford House, 345
Sidney, Sir Philip, by I. Oliver, 288
_Singleton, Joseph_, 34
_Singleton, William_, 34
_Smart, Anthony_, 35
_Smart, John_, 34;
his birth and career, 247;
goes to India, 247;
qualities of his art, 248
_Smart, John, junr._, 34, 247
_Smart, Samuel Paul_, 34
_Smith Thomas Correggio_, 34
_Smith, John Raphael_, 34
Snuff-boxes, 79;
their use in the eighteenth century, 205
_Soutter, J. G._, imitator of Petitot, 202
T
_Teerling, Levyn_, 102
_Thorburn, Robert_, A.R.A., his method of painting large works on ivory, 41;
his rapid rise, 271;
his method of making cabinet pictures, 275
_Toutin, Jean_, 74, 193
_Toutin, Henri_, 75
U
Unwin, Mrs., _see_ Cobden
Upsala, MSS. preserved at, 57
V
_Van Cleef, J._, 105
Van der Doort's catalogue, 285, 286, 288
_Van Dyck, Sir A._, his friendship with Petitot, 197
Victoria and Albert Museum, enamels at, 73, 74, 76, 93;
snuff-boxes at, 205;
miniatures at, 313
W
Waddesdon Collection, 73, 74
Wallace Collection, miniatures in, 304-313;
snuff-boxes, 79
Walpole, Horace, his criticisms, 183, 299
Welbeck Collection, 297
_West, Benjamin_, P.R.A., a patron of Robertson, 264;
his influence at Court, 264
Windsor, collection at, its extent, 282, 291;
Olivers at, 149, 150, 165, 288
_Wood, William_, 267
_Wright, Mrs._, _see_ Biffin
Z
_Zincke, C. F._, 83, 300
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