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Henry VIII
Portrait miniature of Henry VIII, from letters patent for Thomas Foster, probably painted by Lucas Horenbout, 1524; in the National Art Library in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
miniature painting
art
Also known as: limning
- Also called (16th–17th century):
- limning
- Related Topics:
- painting
- Shīrāz school
- portrait miniature
miniature painting, small, finely wrought portrait executed on vellum, prepared card, copper, or ivory. The name is derived from the minium, or red lead, used by the medieval illuminators. Arising from a fusion of the separate traditions of the illuminated manuscript and the medal, miniature painting flourished from the beginning of the 16th century down to the mid-19th century. The portrait miniature, as a separate portrait enclosed in either a locket or a covered “portrait box,” is most plausibly traced to Flemish illuminators such as those of the Horenbout family. The earliest datable portrait miniatures, however, are not Flemish but ...(100 of 466 words)