• Detailed brushwork that can withstand considerable magnification.

• 25" or less for total surface area. (The Royal Miniature Society states that a miniature should not exceed 4.5" x 6" including the frame).

• Subject small in scale compared to life size.

All three factors are equally important to create contemporary fine art in miniature, helping to set this specialised field apart and maintain a crucial link to it's traditions. Just because a painting is small does not make it a miniature. Likewise, fine detail alone is not enough.

A true miniature, whether traditional or contemporary, is painstakingly executed on a minute scale using very fine brushstrokes. That is the essence of miniature art in the west.  To assist modern artists and ensure the continuation of true miniature painting, some Societies established a helpful 1/6th guideline for scale, others that a portrait head or principle object cannot be more than 2" (with naturally tiny subjects there is some flexibility). One of the descriptions often used is that the painting is 'portable' and a miniature will fit in the palm of your hand.

Historically this kind of painting was known as limning in Britain and referred simply to watercolour paintings on vellum. These were originally stuck to a playing cards for support and grew out of the techniques used to illustrate hand-written books, often practiced by the same artists.  (A wonderful example from the 16th century is 'The Golf Book' by Simon Bening, shown above, which measures 4" x 3.5" and also 'The Luttrell Psalter' from the early 14th century, with exquisitely detailed miniatures of contemporary rural life decorating the manuscript borders). You can also watch the process used to create a portrait miniature on vellum in a video from the V & A museum here.

Over the centuries Miniature Art has evolved to encompass changing trends and ideas; today many different mediums and surfaces are used for a wide variety of subject matter by artists all over the world. The word 'miniature' has passed into common usage, as a result of these early paintings, to describe something scaled down but 'perfectly formed'.

Anyone keen to learn more from contemporary artists will find this book excellent: Techniques of Painting Miniatures by Sue Burton, a founding member of the Hilliard Society in the UK. (Clicking on the title will allow you to see a preview).

Thanks to the efforts of some very experienced miniature artists over the past few years, the following links to societies and individual artists will give you an insight into the fascinating world of 'painting in the little'. Best of all, visit an exhibition of miniature art if you possibly can!  

The Hilliard Society  |  The Royal Miniature Society | Miniature Art Society of Florida

*Katherine Coombs is the curator of the miniature collection at the V&A and explains the history in fascinating detail in her papers and book, The Portrait Miniature in England.

If you are interested in purchasing one of my miniatures please get in touch or visit the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery in central London.