Roger and Carmela Arturi Phillips have published a hardcover catalogue of their portrait miniature collection, THE ARTURI PHILLIPS COLLECTION: A Catalogue of Portrait Miniatures. Some of the primarily British and Continental pieces may be seen on their blog, http://portraitminiature.blogspot.com/ , and they also have a page for their portrait miniature club on Facebook.

“Featuring the work of over 130 artists dating from 1588 to 2004. 447 pages all in colour, hardcover, printed on art paper, with a double page devoted to each miniature, including full page enlargements showing brushstrokes and signatures. In this book, which we have written for collectors, we discuss our collecting criteria, our experiences in buying miniatures both from auctions and dealers, our techniques for photographing them and our storage solutions. There is also new information on later artists.”

Their book is available for sale in the US from me, and the cost is $105, which includes shipping. Contact me for further detail, at CAPMiniatures@aol.com. It may also be purchased directly from the Phillips if you’re in the UK or Europe, at portraitminiatureclub@googlemail.com , from Thomas Heneage Art Books in London at artbooks@heneage.com , or in Australia from Armadale Antique Centre, at www.armadaleantiquecentre.com.au . ISBN 978-2-9536625-0-4.

I came across an interesting illustrated article today from JSTOR online, about the 18th century minaturist David Boudon. The article is: “A Most Perfect Resemblance at Moderate Prices: The Miniatures of David Boudon,”  by Nancy E. Richards, The Winterthur Portfolio, Vol. 9, pp 77-101, Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, 1974.  An excerpt from the article (which can be downloaded as a PDF for a fee) reads:

“Overshadowed by such well-known miniature portraitists as Elouis, Saint-Memin, Edward Malbone, and the Peales, David Boudon’s contribution to American miniature painting deserves reappraisal. His career serves as a good barometer of artistic practice in the 1790s and 1800s. His periodic migrations from place to place in search of commissions provide insight into the difficulties encountered by many of his contemporaries. Working in a little-used technique, Boudon was able to capture an accurate likeness without using a physiognotrace or pantograph. An excellent draftsman, his portraits are uncompromising; he does not try to glamorize or idealize his sitters. Working in a highly competitive field, Boudon’s patrons were members of the gentry–a segment of society frequently overlooked by artists in search of more prestigious clients. Boudon is not a major figure in the history of American miniature painting, but by providing an accurate record of middle and upper middle-class Americans at a reasonable price, Boudon anticipated the need for true likenesses that photography would satisfy later in the nineteenth century.”

The collectors who publish the “A Private Portrait Miniature Collection” blog http://portraitminiature.blogspot.com/   have decided to form a portrait miniature club.

“It is hoped that people will exchange information and opinions through the Portrait Miniature Club that we are in the process of forming, which will be free to any interested party. Anyone wishing to receive further updates on  the formation of the club please register your interest by email to: portraitminiatureclub@googlemail.com . Please note your email address will not be given to any third party.The club is a non-profit organisation and any advice or information given by the club is free of charge and is without any liability or guarantee.

We shall be publishing the book of our collection early next year, which will include even better photographs, showing all the brushstrokes and signatures etc. as well as some new information about certain artists.”

The January/February 2010 issue of Antiques and Fine Art magazine contains an article called: “Informed Collecting: Portrait Miniatures of Children,” by Elle Shushan.  The link is as follows: http://bit.ly/6acjxS .

The following anecdote about portrait miniatures recently appeared on the blog “Artists and Ancestors”  (http://portmin.blogspot.com/):

“I will leave you with a story that I was told just a few days ago. A man, very old today, remembers visiting in his grandfather’s jewellery store in Manhattan during the depression. The man remembers people bringing in scraps of metal to be sold for pennies.  And he remembers being just tall enough that he was eye to eye with a large jar his grandfather kept on a table. And the jar was full of little faces.  The faces of miniatures which were discarded for the small amount of the precious metal would bring.  All those tiny bits of art, lost to the world.”

The philosophy of collecting and collections is something that always interests me, and I thought that a quote from Orlando Rock, Christie’s head of Private Collections, illustrated a facet of this.

“What makes the perfect collection?  The key is not to be too old-fashioned and to have a few masterpieces which stand out, around which groups can be coherently formed. But above all, a collection needs to have charm and be full of character; it very rarely works if it is bland or unimaginative. and in an ideal world, added into this mix would be a touch of glamour:  The allure of the cult of the personality….for me, every work of art tells a story–and it is the romance of the object, where it comes from, who commissioned it and who owned it subsequently–that is at the heart of what we do. “

An interesting antique book listed for sale by Joslin Hall (eBay #350261836194) gives detailed instructions on how to paint miniatures. It appears to have three female authors. The listing is as follows:

” Nouveau Manuel complet de Miniature, de Gouache, du Lavis a la Sepia, de l’Aquarelle et de la Peinture a la Cire, par Mm. Constant-Viguier, Langlois-Longueville et Duroziez.  Published in Paris by La Libraire Encyclopedique Roret: 1845. Nouvelle edition.

First published in 1828, this treatise on miniature and watercolor painting includes instructions for preparing and painting on ivory, glass, concave and black glass and other materials, creating and outlining designs, gives suggestions for colors and mediums and discusses subject matter and effects, thoroughly going over every technical and artistic aspect of the subjects. One of the plates illustrates a painter’s kit, with paintbox, brushes, suggested set ups for the palette and a hand-colored color wheel. The other plate illustrates how to effectively chose and frame a view from a natural landscape, including dealing with its geometric elements. A charming manual.

Softcover. 4″x6″, viii + 356 pages plus 2 folding plates, one with an attractive hand-colored color wheel. Publisher’s original printed paper covers, covers with some chipping around the edges, spine reinforced with what appears to be an onionskin paper (see photo). A little toning and spotting throughout, page tips and fore-edge a bit browned, etc. Last gather of text pages and the first plate still attached into the binding by their cords, but very, very loosely. Still, an attractive copy in the publisher’s original paper covers.”

A collector recently told me that my Christine Archibald Portrait Miniatures website was a “lighthouse in the night” for him–which tickled me so much that I wanted to post it here.

As I recently posted on my Facebook page for CAPM [see below], while I’m always glad to sell a miniature, what I’m interested in doing with this blog, the Facebook page, the Twitter postings, and the LinkedIn page is fostering a sense of community between like-minded individuals.  Not simply people who collect or are interested in portrait miniatures, but also those who gravitate to the arts.

 ”On this Christine Archibald Portrait Miniatures page I’m primarily interested in fostering a sense of community. Not just among collectors, or those intrigued by miniatures, but also among people who gravitate to story–which is what miniatures essentially are all about. The story of the sitter, the story of the artist, the story of the time period, the story of the city, state and nation in which the miniature was painted.

As well, I’m interested in creating a common ground for people who are drawn to art, history, sociology, genealogy. folk art, sentimental jewelry, antiques, the history of fashion, politics, theatre, literature, science, academics and society–since these all come into play in the world of portrait miniatures.”

The Royal Oak Foundation Lecture Series
Monday, May 18
Elle Shushan will present:
Painted Faces: The Private History of Portrait Miniatures
Abigail Adams Smith Auditorium
417 East 61st Street, New York, NY
212.480.2889 x 201 for registration www.royal-oak.org