Portrait Miniatures: the 18th Century
In the early 18th century miniaturists had experimented with ways to make it easier to paint on ivory with watercolour. These included roughening the ivory, degreasing it and making the paint stickier.
Jeremiah Meyer then exploited the advances made by his predecessors and showed other artists the possibilities of working on ivory.
In the late 1760s a number of young artists became miniaturists, including Richard Cosway, John Smart and Richard Crosse, all born around 1742. From the age of 14, these boys took lessons at William Shipley 's new drawing school, the first such school in London.
This selection of miniatures shows the confidence this training gave them.
Click on the images below for larger versions and more information.
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