{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O82251"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O82251/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AF7323/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AF7323/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AF7323","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O82251/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O82251","accessionNumber":"P.54-1941","objectType":"Portrait Miniature","titles":[{"title":"Portrait Miniature of an Unknown Woman","type":""}],"summaryDescription":"Miniature painting originally referred to the art of painting in watercolour on vellum (fine animal skin). It developed in the early 16th century out of the tradition of illuminating manuscripts (hand-written books). In England, miniature was predominantly a portrait art. It was practised by specialist miniature painters, such as Nicholas Hilliard (1547-1619). On the Continent, miniature painting as a portrait art had a few great practitioners, such as the French painter Jean Clouet (1516?-1572). But not even Clouet was a specialist. Like Hans Holbein, he worked both in miniature and in large in oil.\r\n\r\nIn France, it was not until the 1770s that a notable school of portrait miniaturists emerged. It was only then that they were able to rival English ones, such as Richard Cosway (1742-1821) and John Smart (1742-1811). Like Cosway and Smart, these French artists worked in watercolour on ivory.\r\n\r\nIn the early 18th century ivory began to replace vellum as a support for miniature painting. It was introduced by Rosalba Carriera (1675-1757), a Venetian artist. Its use developed in distinct ways in England and on the Continent. In continental Europe, and especially in France, Carriera's method of using opaque 'gouache' (watercolour mixed with white) was influential. She exploited the ivory primarily by leaving the face transparent. In contrast, by the 1770s artists of the English School tended towards transparent pigments. They very rarely used gouache.","physicalDescription":"Portrait miniature of an unknown woman, said to be the Duchesse de Châteauroux, holding a miniature set in a bracelet, watercolour on ivory.  She is seated on a blue and gold chair with a small dog beside her, holding a quilled pen in its mouth","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Chasselat, Pierre","id":"A9779"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"watercolour","id":"x33202"},{"text":"ivory","id":"AAT11857"}],"techniques":[{"text":"painting","id":"x30598"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Watercolour on ivory","categories":[{"text":"Portraits","id":"THES48906"},{"text":"Paintings","id":"THES48917"},{"text":"Miniatures","id":"THES269968"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2006AF7323"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLF","id":"THES49656"},"free":"","case":"RMC","shelf":"9","box":"H"}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"miniature (painting)","id":"AAT33936"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"France","id":"x28849"},"association":{"text":"painted","id":"x30138"},"note":"probably"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1780s","earliest":"1780-01-01","latest":"1789-12-31"},"association":{"text":"painted","id":"x30138"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Diameter","value":"74","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Portrait Miniature, Portrait miniature of an unknown woman, said to be the Duchesse de Châteauroux, holding a miniature set in a bracelet,  by Pierre Chasselat, watercolour on ivory, ca. 1780.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"<u>Victoria and Albert Museum, Department of Engraving, Illustration and Design and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1941</u>, London: HMSO, 1954."},{"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":"","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":"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":"miniature","id":"AAT33936"},{"text":"dog","id":"AAT24149"},{"text":"quill","id":"AAT22463"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["P.54-1941"],"accessionNumberNum":"54","accessionNumberPrefix":"P","accessionYear":1941,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-12-19","recordCreationDate":"2003-07-11","availableToBook":false}}