What I love about portraiture, however artfully constructed an image might be, is the sense of encounter with another human being. This encounter has been heightened for me in working on new interpretation for our Tudor and Jacobean miniatures collection. Independent portrait miniatures are one of the most intimate forms of art, designed to be ‘viewed ... in hand near unto the eye’ (Nicholas Hilliard). Usually painted on the reverse of a playing card (Fig.1), they were often mounted within a jewelled case they could be worn, carried in a pocket or kept for private display within the home. …
By
Jane Eade, Former Associate Curator (16th Century Collections)
27 March 2013
