FRANCE

France also had a strong tradition of portrait miniatures that, like the British, was initially centered around the royal family and their court. Many of these portraits were also set in bejeweled frames, known by the French boîte à portrait, or “portrait box,” that were linked to the 17th-century taste for gem-encrusted jewelry and enamel cases.

 King Louis XIV (1643–1715) naturally dictated the modes of fashion of the day, and he had a particular penchant for gems. The boîte à portrait was thus the perfect diplomatic gift for the monarch, representing ideals of loyalty, wealth prestige. The king’s portrait at the center was a clear indicator of favor, while the gems that surrounded it, most 

King Louis XIV by Jacques Antoine Arlaud, Circa 1690, 3 1/4 in. x 3 in., M.S. Rau

often diamonds, spoke to the riches of the country and the success of the monarchy. The boîte à portrait  was not only gifted to  Louis XIV’s loyal subjects, but also to ambassadors and foreign dignitaries who might spread word of his generosity throughout Europe. 

Louis XIV by Jean Petitot I, Circa 1668, 2 13/16 in. × 1 5/8 in., Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)

Detail with ‘boîte à portrait’

Portrait of Konrad Detlef, Graf von Dehn by Nicolas de Largillierre, 1724, Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum (Braunschweig)

The miniaturist Henri Toutin was perhaps the most important figure during this period, and he is largely responsible for introducing enamel into the French art of portrait miniature painting. It is believed that he trained with the famed Swiss enamelist Jean Petitot I in Paris, whereafter Toutin adapted the decorative uses of enamel to the art of the miniature. He utilized a fine, stippled technique, not unlike Pointillism, in order to achieve that veracity and detail required for such a small-scale portrait. The technique was remarkably complex when compared to watercolor portraits since each color needed to be fired individually. However, the result was worth the effort, resulting in a far more vibrant portrait than watercolor could achieve.

More and more people wished to own the likeness of their family or lovers, and a new generation of miniaturists emerged to meet the huge demand.

While portrait miniatures briefly fell out of favor around 1710 in France, they reached a new height of popularity during the final years of the ancien régime. More and more people wished to own the likeness of their family or lovers, and a new generation of miniaturists emerged to meet the huge demand. During this period, artists also enjoyed new artistic freedom as their client base grew, and many began to sign their works, a practice that was heretofore uncommon.

Marie Antoinette, Queen of France by Ignazio Pio Vittoriano Campana, Circa 1780, 2 7/8 in. (diameter), The Tansey Miniatures Foundation (Celle, Germany)

Young Lady with Music Score and Violin by Charles Nicolas Guillon, Circa 1787, 2 5/8 in. (diameter), The Tansey Miniatures Foundation (Celle, Germany)

There is also a marked change in the style of portrait miniatures from this period. No longer is the stoic, brilliantly dressed royal the only subject of these works. Rather, they become for more sentimental and romanticized, capturing their subjects with unabashed emotion. They represent a continuation of the French Rococo taste, and particularly the work of the great portrait painter François Boucher.

Mademoiselle de Montbrizon by François Dumont, 1795, 3 in. (diameter), The Walters Art Museum (Baltimore)

At the end of the 18th century, the French Revolution brought intense social and political upheaval to France. Somewhat surprisingly, however, the portrait miniature was one area of the arts that did not suffer, and artists continued to receive commissions during the Reign of Terror (1793–94) and into the establishment of the Directory (1795–99). It is perhaps the nature of the miniature as a remembrance of a loved one that ensured its continued popularity throughout this tumultuous age. The style of portraiture, however, did evolve somewhat to the changing tastes of the time — most sitters reflected the more conservative attitudes of post-Revolution Paris. Lavish displays of wealth in both costume and background were abandoned in favor of more modest and simplistic settings.

François Dumont was one of the most significant miniaturists from the period, and his work spans both pre- and post-Revolution. He is known to have painted some of the last portraits of Marie-Antoinette and became official Court miniaturist in 1786. A known royalist, he was briefly imprisoned during the Reign of Terror, but survived and adapted his art to suit post-Revolution sentiments. While Dumont was enjoying the heights of his fame and success, another highly important artist was coming of age — Jean-Baptiste Isabey. Isabey was just 22 years old during the storming of the Bastille, but he was already making a name for himself as a miniature painter of talent.

Emperor Napoléon attributed to André Léon Larue, 1812, 6 in. x 5 in., M.S. Rau

Empress Josephine by Jean-Baptiste Isabey, Circa 1810, M.S. Rau

Emperor Napoléon by Jean-Baptiste Isabey, 1808, 1 7/8 in., The Walters Art Museum (Baltimore)

Isabey, along with the popular miniaturist Jean-Urbain Guérin, studied with French Neoclassical painter Jacques-Louis David (1748–1825). As a result, stylistic similarities are clearly seen between these two masters who dominated the miniatures market during the Empire period. Simple backgrounds and flattened planes prevailed, while sitters were rendered with a Neoclassical sensibility under a softened, ethereal wash of color.

Napoléon III by Sophie Liénard, Circa 1842-1845, 11 3/4 in. x 10 1/2 in., M.S. Rau

Empress Eugenie by Marie-Pauline Laurent, 1855, 7 7/8 in. × 5 7/8 in., Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)

Similar to what occurred in England with the growing domination of the Royal Academy, the French Salon also gained a new level of prominence in the Parisian art world during Napoléon’s reign. Portraiture, in particular, became highly popular at the annual exhibitions as artists developed new styles and methods that attracted a new clientele. Miniaturists likewise submitted their works to the Salon each season, but as they were dwarfed by full-sized paintings, many of these artists began to work on a larger scale. The transformation of miniatures to what became known as portraits en grande miniature soon evolved due to these highly competitive Salon exhibitions.

Through the mid-18th century, miniature portraits continued to be painted en grande to the point where they became what one would consider a small-scale oil portrait. However, the miniature as a royal favor remained popular, and they were frequently gifted to family, supporters and diplomats by Emperor Napoléon, King Louis XVIII and Napoléon III. Yet, as a popular art form among the masses, the reign of the miniature portrait was brought to an end by the advent and widespread availability of photography in the mid-19th century.

Double-Sided Portrait of King Louis XVIII, Circa 1820, 2" in. x 1 3/4 in., M.S. Rau

FRANCE