The miniaturists studio furnishings

Lorenzo Theweneti: Portrait of a Miniaturist (allegedly Brother Theweneti with his Wife Frau), circa 1820 (13,4cm x 9,6cm, signed lower left) Sammlung Tansey
Ref.-No. 010.726

It was usual for the artist to meet his models for the sittings and to paint „ad vi-vum" (like life). So that he didn’t have to sit with a bent back in an uncomfortable position, the miniaturist chose a high work surface or placed his easel – a box with an adjustable, slanted lid – on a table. This was moved nearer the window, and the painter sat down – so as not to cover his work painting with the shadow of his hand – then the light fell onto his work from his left. A room facing north had the advantage that the painter was not disturbed by direct or moving sun rays. If the miniaturist worked in a larger town he requested the model’s presence in his own studio. In the countryside, however, the miniaturist was often forced to travel and to develop a client base in different places from a sparse selection. Therefore his painting material had to be transportable and it is also to be assumed that he had to arrange the portrait sittings in the models’ houses.

The model sat opposite the painter, at a distance of approximately two or three metres. The model was to position himself in a pose suitable to his character, accentuating this to its best advantage. Gestures and accessories served the purpose of characterizing the model further. These specifications, as well as the prices which were dependant on the specifications, had to be negotiated between the painter and the client in advance. The size of the miniature, the richness of detail on the clothes and the representation of the hands depended on the price. The fact that the depicted are always illuminated from the same side in miniatures, namely from the observer’s perspective on the left, can be explained by the fact that, optimally, the light fell from the left side. If the model was to be characterized by a lively play of light and shadow, the painter had the model look away from the window towards the right. If, however, a shadow-free model was more advantageous, then the model turned his head towards the light source. This lighting situation can be confirmed in nearly all miniatures. Exceptions may have been painted by left-handed painters or they were copies of back-to-front printing templates (only two of the exhibited miniatures from the Tansey collection show illumination from the right and they were drawn from a foreign template, cat. no. 2000-1 and cat. no. 2000-140) The model was always portrayed in a neutral, interior room, even when the miniature was to show a valuable interior, a balcony view or an atmospheric park landscape in the background, this was added by the painter from his “decoration repertoire” later on.

Bernd Pappe