MINIATURE COLLECTORS MEET IN LONDON

We shall be in London during the week of the exhibition of later miniatures and are delighted to invite any collectors or enthusiasts to meet on Friday 23rd March 4.00 p.m.-6.00p.m. in a central location. Light refreshments will be provided.  Please bring miniatures with you if you wish! Why not take in the exhibition first and then join us for what should prove to be an interesting and fun occasion? Please contact us if you would like to come. Roger and Carmela

Miniature Exhibition in London

An exhibition of later miniatures is being held in London from 21st March to 27th March to coincide with the publication of  the 'Dictionary of Miniature Painters 1870-1970'. Here is the link giving all the details.

http://www.philipmould.com/news/2012-02-08-the-painted-face-during-the-age-of-photography

The exhibition is being curated by Emma Rutherford, the Art Historian and Portrait Miniature Specialist.

We shall be in London for the Exhibition

 and would love to meet any miniature lovers

who are able to come.

Roger and Carmela

CHARLES III OF SPAIN

An Italian scholar is looking for images of miniatures of Charles III
of Spain (1716-1788).  If anyone has a miniature of this monarch or
any other image of him, we shall be grateful if you will kindly get in
touch with us at portraitminiatureclub@gmail.com

Finished at Last

So where have we been ? We haven't been hibernating but working hard on our latest book and it's finished and went to the Printers today! 


The book is 296 pages A4 and lists over 2300 miniature painters working between 1870 and 1970 with lots of additional and previously unpublished information about many of them.  After the dictionary section there are over a hundred pages in full colour showing the work of some of the artists painting during this time and a section on Photominiatures and Monograms and Signatures.


It will be available from mid March and we are offering club members  a  special price of £40 delivered. The Retail Price will be £65.


Please email us if you want to reserve a copy.


There will be an exhibition in London of the miniatures featured in the book towards the end of March. Details to follow.

Conservation of Later Miniatures

Collectors will sometimes come across a miniature painted on ivory

which has become 'warped'  or even worse, cracked.

It is possible to repair cracks and if done well by an experienced conservator,

 the repair can be virtually invisible.

We have noticed that many later miniatures

 (late nineteenth and early twentieth century) suffer from warping because

 the ivory leaf has been stuck

 to a backing board and this seems to be a regular practice during this time.  Bonding different materials with different 

coefficients of expansion is not a good idea,

 especially with a strong glue!

This is a miniature painted by Ida Laidman circa 1915 of an

unknown lady and it was badly warped.

 The ivory stuck to a backing board was even pushing

the back cover away from the frame.

When the miniature was removed from the frame the extent of the

bend in the ivory is apparent

Not a task for the amateur, the backing card had to be removed by a conservator in order to save the miniature from further curvature and eventual cracking.  The sooner a conservator is used to restore the flatness to the ivory, the better.

A new acid free backing card had to be cut with the ivory sandwiched between this and the glass, without being glued to it.  
  

The miniature was re-assembled into it's cleaned frame and is now looking
much like it did when it was painted. We thought the lady had a
slight smile on relief on her face!

Last Chance to see Special Exhibition of Royal Sitters and Annual Exhibition of the Royal Miniature Society

The 2011 Royal Miniature Society Annual Exhibition is an even more thrilling spectacle than usual this year, with not only a stunning array of talent from living artists, which is reflected in the increased sales of exhibits, but an historic display of miniatures of members of the British Royal Family over the last 450 years or so.

Viewing the Annual Exhibition, which ends 1.00 p.m. on Sunday 23rd Ocober.

Iain Gardiner receiving the Mundy Sovereign Portrait Award 

from President, Elizabeth Meek, with Dr. Stephen Lloyd,

 who opened the Exhibitions, to the right, and Bill Mundy on the left.

The nephew of the winner of the Gold Bowl Award proudly receives his Uncle's trophy and gamely makes a gracious speech.

List of the Special Loan Exhibits - an historic sight with some fabulous and rare miniatures on display for the first time.

Curated by Richard Chadwick, the Special Exhibition has been a huge success and talking point. A few onlookers cheekily asked if any of the exhibits were for sale!  The beautiful Exhibition Catalogue, in full colour, wonderfully researched and written by Richard Chadwick, is a marvellous consolation prize. At only £10 a copy and with the preface written by HRH The Prince of Wales, who is Patron of the Royal Miniature Society, it is a must-have catalogue for all miniature lovers.  All the proceeds from the sale of the catalogue go to the Prince's Drawing School.  

If anyone wishes to buy a copy,  and is unable to attend the Exhibition where it is on sale, please email us on portraitminiatureclub@gmail.com and we shall put you in touch with Richard. 

Weeping Glass - a rare disorder

The ideal glass covering for a miniature is thin convex glass.  This

allows a good view of the miniature and protects it from dust and
damage caused by glass rubbing against the paint and possibly sticking
to it and lifting it  (as when flat glass is used). We have seen examples 

where flat glass has rubbed the ivory and damaged the painting.

Side view of a miniature frame showing curvature of the glass

 Flat glass is only used when there is a metal or cardboard 'slip' 

that separates the painting from the glass, 

usually when a miniature is contained in a travel case.

An example of a miniature with a mount and flat glass.

There is an uncommon condition called 'Weeping Glass' that is
caused by faulty manufacture of the glass.

 At first glance,
it might look as though the glass is 'misty' or very dusty, but on
closer inspection one can see that on the underside of the glass there
is a thin film of condensation! If old glass contains 20-30 percent

sodium or potassium, it may have 'glass disease' where the glass

weeps and begins to break down.

Amazingly, this fine mist of water droplets

 cannot be eradicated through cleaning, drying or any other
method that we know of!  And as it poses a huge threat to the
wellbeing of the miniature it has to be removed and discarded
immediately, however inconvenient.