A Visit to The Royal Miniature Society Exhibition

If you go down to the Mall today, you're sure of a big surprise....

Held annually at the prestigious Mall Galleries, (just up from Buckingham Palace!) the RMS offers a two week feast of today's top miniature painters' latest works. Entrance is free!

Last Monday, the Gallery was full of people who had come to see the opening ceremony and presentations. Starting from a couple of hundred pounds, original masterworks were on sale and being snapped up by eager collectors. For those looking to spend a smaller sum, beautiful and exclusive greeting cards, representing the works of winning exhibitors, are also on sale.

The Exhibition was opened by Rupert Maas who also presented the Golden Bowl award for the best piece in any medium. Rupert is the picture expert for the BBC's Antiques Roadshow. He was introduced by Elizabeth Meek, the President of the Society.

The Gold Bowl was crafted by Garrard, the Crown Jewellers, in 18 carat gold. The magnificent Bowl was donated to the Society by the previous President, Suzanne Lucas, who being a very practical lady, suggested that if the RMS should ever fall on hard times, the Bowl could be sold to save the Society!

The Gold Bowl Award was won by Iain Gardiner for his work called 'Reflection 4'. He was given a smaller silver gilt replica to keep.

'Reflection 4'.

Although not a portrait miniature we were impressed by the skill and technique of his complicated conversation piece on today's consumerism.

It was then we saw the the genius of Iain's painting ability with the large painting of his mother and father (on the wall behind him). The painting is 22 1/2 x 18 in (56.5 x 46 cm) and is painted in the miniature painting style. The painting took six months to complete and was selected for the BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery.

A close up of the faces shows the incredible detail in the painting

Even the shirt is painted showing the material 'fluffing' on the edge!

While at the exhibition we met artist and author, Katherine Tyrrell, who runs a web site called www.makingamark.co.uk and also one of the worlds most popular blogs on art, www.makingamark.blogspot.com. This is an excellent site for reports on all the art exhibitions in the UK .

An invitation to contribute to our new book

We are researching and writing a new book concentrating on later British portrait miniatures between 1870 and 1970.

This book will be published next year and will include information on artists who were active during this period together with their sitters. This will be a valuable record of miniature painters working during a time which has not yet been covered in detail.

If anyone has any information about miniaturists working during this period, or has signed examples of their work, we should love to hear from you.

In a later post, we shall be showing images of some of the miniatures to be featured in the book.

The Famous Pierpont Morgan Miniature Collection

John Pierpont Morgan, Sr. (April 17, 1837 - March 31, 1913)

John Pierpont Morgan was a financier and banker of considerable wealth. By 1901 he was one of the wealthiest men in the world with a fortune estimated to be $ 1.4 billion in today's terms. He was a fearsome man as the photograph here appears to portray. It was suggested that the arm of the chair he is holding looked like a knife being pointed at the viewer! Morgan was a collector of books, clocks, gems, paintings and other art objects. His collection of portrait miniatures was probably the greatest private collection that has ever existed. His private library for his book collection and art works in 36th Street New York was made a public institution in 1925. However the miniature collection of 795 pieces was sold and dispersed in a three day sale in1935 at Christie's in London. The sale realised $349,285 ($5,460,000 in today's values) which was only two thirds of what was thought Morgan had paid in total for the collection. Some of the most important and famous pieces are now owned by major museums. Shown below are some images of hand coloured facsimilies from the catalogue of the Pierpont Morgan Collection, written by Dr. George Williamson and published in 1906. Only 20 copies of this special hand made catalogue were produced, showing this extraordinary collection.

Charles de Cosse by Jean Clouet, thought to be the very first 'stand alone' portrait miniature to exist when the artist cut it out of an illuminated manuscript he had painted

Mary, Duchess of Richmond and Lenox (1625-1685) by Jean Petitot

Mrs Pemberton by Hans Holbein which was purchased in 1904 for £2750 (£220,000 in today's values) One of the most famous miniatures in the world, it is now in the V & A Museum London

The 'Armada Jewel' with a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I by Nicholas Hilliard

Lucy, Countess of Bedford, attributed by Williamson in 1906 to John Bossam

Madame Du Barry by Richard Cosway

Mrs. Oakeley (1762-1839) by John Smart

Unknown Lady and family by Samuel Shelley

Artist's son by J H Fragonard

Madame Elizabeth by Jean Liotard

Soloman Ben Israel by P A Hall

Jean Pierre Pagin by Francois Dumont

General Kleber (1753-1800) by Jean Guerin

Children of Madame du Coincy by Jean-Baptiste Augustin

Self Portrait by Jean-Baptiste Augustin

A sweet shop for miniaturists

Walking through Great Russell Road in London recently towards the British Museum we came

across L. Cornelissen and Son established in 1855. Looking in the window was like stepping back a hundred years with a large array of pigments, gums and resins in small dishes. They have a huge range of rare and early colours and just about anything a miniature artist would require, except of course ivory.

Their web site is http://www.cornelissen.com

Later Miniatures in the Collection (Not in Catalogue)

1893. Signed and dated. Robert Henderson . Master William George Barnes, aged 6

1903 Signed and dated. Mohala Theodora Webb. Jack Russell Terrier called 'Spot'

C.1905 Signed. Kate Earle. Little Girl Holding Flowers

1929 Signed and dated. Amy Gertrude Chamberlin. Lady reading a letter

1959 Signed and dated. Mohala Theodora Webb. Two Poodles

c.1905 Signed. E. Sartori. Unknown Lady

c.1900 Signed A.L. Unknown gentleman

1923 signed and dated. Louis Jules Minard. Girl with fair hair

c. 1950 Signed K.C. Little Girl in yellow ribbon

1947 Signed and dated A.S. A Priest

c.1930 Signed. Kate Winifred Walker. Mrs. 'Katrine' Murray Austin

1908 Signed and dated. Hannah Elizabeth Smith. Miss Edith Smith

c.1890 Signed. Hugh Nicholson. Mrs. C. A. Goodday

1965 Signed and dated. Violet Young. Pekinese called 'Suki' aged 9

CATALOGUE OF OUR COLLECTION

THE ARTURI PHILLIPS COLLECTION: A catalogue of Portrait Miniatures. Featuring the work of over 130 artists dating from 1588-2004. ISBN 978-2-9536625-0-4. 447 pages all in colour, hardback, printed on art paper, with a double page devoted to each miniature, including full page enlargements showing brushstrokes, signatures, etc. 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 much new information on later artists. Weighing 2.5 KG (5.1/2 lbs) and with a retail price of Euros78 (£65) Please email us or obtain your copy from Thomas Heneage Art Books in London

(email artbooks@heneage.com) or for Australia copies may be obtained from Armadale Antique Centre (contact through their website www.armadaleantiquecentre.com.au)

For the United States please obtain your copy from CAP Miniatures New York

(email capminiatures@aol.com)


Also available for purchase on line at Amazon and W.H. Smith

Recent additions to the collection 28th. May 2010

c.1910. Signed. Luie Chadwick. Girl with peacock feathers.

c.1910. Signed. Luie Chadwick. Girl in green hat.

c.1910. Signed E Gregon. Boy in sailor suit.

c.1905. Signed. Lionel (Hugh) Heath. Unknown lady.

c.1840. Louis Francois Aubry. Monsieur Rivio, opera singer.

c.1799. N. Freese. The Hon. Mary Ann Adams.

1789. Signed and dated. Horace Hone. Unknown Lady.

1651. Signed and dated. Samuel Cooper. Possibly Richard Cromwell.

The enamel back of the above Samuel Cooper original frame.

c.1640. Signed. John Hoskins. Charles I.

Please note that the above miniatures will not be in the book publication of the collection