{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O76675"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O76675/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2026PN5423/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2026PN5423/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2026PN5423","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AG1596","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AP6243","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O76675/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O76675","accessionNumber":"P.55-1977","objectType":"Eye Miniature","titles":[{"title":"An Eye Miniature in a crescent shaped setting","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Eye miniatures were a curious but brief anomaly in miniature painting that came into fashion at the end of the 18th century. They were an extremely intense manifestation of an already emotionally charged art, apparently an attempt to capture ‘the window of the soul’, the supposed reflection of a person’s most intimate thoughts and feelings. Often, as here, the result was a compelling piece of jewellery. Sometimes, however, the result was merely unpleasantly anatomical or disturbingly uncanny.\r\n\r\nThe eye is one of the oldest and most powerful symbols used by man. In Italy one often finds a large eye gazing down from a cupola, the all-seeing eye of God, and the Masonic Order, for example, adopted the eye as its symbol. In France, where the eye miniature seems to have originated, the eye as symbol of watchfulness was adopted by the state police for buckles and belts. During the Revolution of 1789 it was apparently adopted by adherents of the Revolutionary party to signal a member's allegiances to initiates. In Britain it seems to have had a much more innocent role as a love token, with some eye miniatures even glistening with a <i>trompe-l'oeil</i> tear, or even a diamond set to imitate a tear. Most eye miniatures are unsigned, due to the minuteness of the background, and all too often the name of the person whose eye is depicted is unknown.","physicalDescription":"Crescent shaped frame edged with seed pearls.  Blue iris against 'sky' background.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"seed pearls","id":"x30724"},{"text":"ivory","id":"AAT11857"},{"text":"water-colour","id":"AAT15045"}],"techniques":[{"text":"painting","id":"x30598"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Watercolour on ivory\n\nHalf-pearls (cut in half with a fine saw). Glass cover sealed to ivory by gold beaters skin (inner gut of oxen, impregnated with isinglass*, and sticks when moistened). Brooch fitment added later. Brass loop added recently probably for ease of display. The 'window' back is empty - we can see modern cloth, so it has lost its hair.\n\n*isinglass: a kind of collagen obtained from fish, especially sturgeon, once used in making jellies, glue, etc.","categories":[{"text":"Paintings","id":"THES48917"},{"text":"Uncanny","id":"THES379132"},{"text":"Miniatures","id":"THES269968"}],"styles":[{"text":"Regency","id":"AAT21231"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2026PN5423","2006AG1596","2006AP6243"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"MainStudio","id":"THES393030"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"miniature (painting)","id":"AAT33936"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"England","id":"x28826"},"association":{"text":"painted","id":"x30138"},"note":"probably"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"early 19th century","earliest":"1800-01-01","latest":"1850-12-31"},"association":{"text":"painted","id":"x30138"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given in memory of the Hon Donough O'Brien by his wife the Hon Rose O'Brien","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"12","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"22","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"33","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"Frame (including loop)","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"36","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"Frame","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"12","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"Frame (maximum including clasp)","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"This eye miniature is illustrated on Fiche 36, C/12 of the Miniatures microfiche.\r\nCrescent shaped frame edged with seed pearls.  Blue iris against 'sky' background.  As seen by the viewer - left eye facing right.; Eye; Anon - English","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Alison Smith, ed. <u>Watercolour</u> London: Tate Publishing, 2010. ISBN: 978-1-85437-913-9."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Damiët Schneeweisz, Rosalind McKever, and Adriana Concin. <I>The Portrait Miniature: A New History</I>. London: Thames & Hudson and the V&A, 2026."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Katherine Coombs, <u>The Portrait Miniature in England</u>, V&A Publications, 1998, pp.87-92."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Katherine Coombs, <i>Finney, Samuel (1719-1798)</i>', <u>Oxford Dictionary of National Biography</u>, Oxford University Press, 2004."},{"reference":{"text":"Damiët Schneeweisz, Rosalind McKever, and Adriana Concin. <i>The Portrait Miniature: A New History</i>. London: Thames & Hudson and the V&A, 2026.","id":"AUTH411474"},"details":"","free":""}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"eye","id":"x36297"},{"text":"miniature","id":"AAT121995"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["P.55-1977"],"accessionNumberNum":"55","accessionNumberPrefix":"P","accessionYear":1977,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-03-20","recordCreationDate":"2003-03-12","availableToBook":false}}