Miniature art

For other kinds of miniature art, see Miniature painting (disambiguation). For model art (i.e. modeling for figure drawing), see Model (art).

Miniature chair; by Peter Carl Fabergé; made between 1896 and 1906; Gold, silver gilt, enamel over engine turned ground simulating brocaded textile, rubies and diamonds; overall: 10.5 x 5.3 x 4.8 cm; Cleveland Museum of Art (USA)

Miniature oil painting of Hamilton Pool, Texas Hill Country; oil on 2.5 x 3.5 in. panel

Miniature art or painting in little is a genre that focuses on art (especially painting, engraving and sculpture) with a long history that dates back to the scribes of the medieval ages. Miniature art societies, such as the World Federation of Miniaturists (WFM), provide applicable definitions of the term. An often-used definition is that a piece of miniature art can be held in the palm of the hand, or that it covers less than 25 square inches or 100 cm². Subjects are depicted in 1/6 actual size, and in all paintings the spirit of miniaturisation should be maintained.

Miniature art has been made for over 1000 years and is prized by collectors. The U.S. White House, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Astolat Dollhouse Castle and museums around the world have collections of miniature paintings, drawings, original prints and etchings, and sculpture.

Miniatures are executed on a very small scale for books or albums on perishable material such as paper and cloth. The Palas of Bengal were the pioneers of miniature painting in India.

Miniature Art Societies hold annual shows around the world. The Miniature Art Society of Florida is possibly one of the largest miniature art shows in the USA. Galleries such as Seaside Art Gallery and The Snowgoose Gallery also hold annual international exhibitions where visitors are invited to view the paintings and sculptures under magnifying lenses.

Artists of the miniature art genre

Artists known for working in miniature include:

• Gopal prasad sharma (India)
• Aman Singh Gulati (India)
• Margaret Hicks (US)
• Jonty Hurwitz (UK, South Africa)
• Debra Keirce (US)
• Karen Latham (US)
• Willard M. Mitchell (Canada)
• Henry Saxon (UK)
• Suvigya Sharma (India)
• Magda Szabo (Canada)
• Narcissa Niblack Thorne (US)
• Bashir Ahmed (Pakistan)
• Joris Hoefnagel (the Netherlands)
• Ludwik Marteau (Poland)
• Fernando García del Molino (Argentina)
• Miss Archibald Ramsay Douglas (UK)
• Penelope Cleyn (UK)
• Nihâl Chand (India)
• Joan Carlile (UK)
• Anna Maria Carew (UK)
• Moshe Bromberg (Poland)
• Christian Backer-Owe (Norway)
• Peter Paillou (UK)
• Pyotr Sokolov (Russia)
• Gunasekaran Sundarraj (India)
• Mohamed Temam (Algeria)
• Élisabeth Terroux (Switzerland)
• Henry Tanworth Wells (UK)
• Abdullah Buhari
• Nakkaş Sinan Bey
• Abdulcelil Levni
• Nakkaş Osman
• Matrakçı Nasuh
• Nusret Çolpan (Turkey)
• Mallikarjuna Reddy (India)
• Nikolai Aldunin (Russia)
• Anatoly Konenko (Russia)
• Hagop Sandaldjian (Egypt)
• Rina Vellichor (Russia)
• Graham Short (UK)
• Willard Wigan (UK)
• Members of the Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers

See also

• Scale model
• Diorama
• Room box
• Dollhouse
• Model building
• Miniature faking
• Portrait miniature
• Model figure
• Akan goldweights
• Ottoman miniature
• Artist trading cards
• Netsuke
• Gothic boxwood miniature
• Mstyora miniature
• Wasli
• List of gold-glass portraits

Further reading

• Burton, Sue (1995). The Techniques of Painting Miniatures. B.T. Batsford Ltd. ISBN 0-7134-7459-9.
• Coombs, Katherine (1998). The Portrait Miniature in England. V&A Publications. ISBN 1-85177-206-5.
• Foskett, Daphne (1987). Miniatures Dictionary and Guide. The Antique Collectors' Club Ltd. ISBN 1-85149-063-9.
• Frank, Robin Jaffee (2000). Love and Loss American Portrait and Mourning Miniatures. Yale University Art Gallery. ISBN 0-300-08724-1.
• Historic and Contemporary Miniature Artists (1994). Timeless Treasures (DVD). The Miniature Art Society of Florida.
• Hughes, Johnson (1994). How to Paint Miniatures. Quintet Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-7858-0029-8.
• Johnson, Dale T. (1990). American Portrait Miniatures, In The Manney Collection. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 0-87099-597-9.
• Livermann, Petryszak (2000). Catalogue of the Miniature Collection. The Miniature Art Society of Florida.
• Mundy, Bill (2005). Portrait Miniatures. William P. Mundy. ISBN 0-9550017-0-6.
• Murdoch, John (1981). The English Miniature. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-02778-8.
• Phillips, Arturi (2012). Dictionary of Miniature Painters 1870-1970. Portrait Miniature Club. ISBN 978-2-9536625-1-1.
• Reynolds, Graham (1998). British Portrait Miniatures. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-59202-X.
• Siegrist, Wes (2010). Modern Masters of Miniature Art in America. Wes Siegrist. ISBN 978-0-9821278-3-4.
• Willies, Joan Cornish (1995). Miniature Painting. Watson-Guptill Publications. ISBN 0-8230-2979-4.
• Wood, Elizabeth Davies (1989). Painting Miniatures. A&C Black Ltd. ISBN 0-8230-3717-7.