Studio: international art (71.1917)

The Beauchamp Miniatures at the Victoria and Albert Museum

THE BEAUCHAMP MINIATURES AT of beauty peculiar to itself. There is the art
THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MU- °* t^ie °Paclue decorative miniature ; the art of
SEUM BY T MARTIN WOOD translucent colour miniature on ivory ; and

the art of enamel miniature.

THE history of miniature painting in Opportunities for a close study of these
England resolves itself into three separately and in detail have always been
periods. With each of these the art limited, for the collections which would afford
appears to be reborn. In an article them have never for any long period at a time
in The Studio for January on the Buccleuch been publicly on view. A compensating feature
collection, I compared results attained in in war-time conditions in London, that generally
different mediums, and in this article I shall seem so unfavourable to the cause of education,
make further comparisons of the same kind, has been the depositing of the Buccleuch and
but I recognize that at this stage it would be Beauchamp Miniatures with the South Kensing-
more useful to make all my comparisons within ton authorities, with the permission to put them
the limits of one of the divisions, between the on view. For want of the opportunities for
miniatures of artists employing the same medium,
and not between results achieved by methods
that are not in a true sense related.

There were two innovations in miniature
painting which changed in succession its char-
acter. There was first the adoption of ivory as
the surface for receiving paint, following the
introduction of transparent colour, and then
there was the revolution brought about by the
use of enamel. In each case new ideals emerged
from the character of the medium, and the new
style was not the development of the old but
the discovery of a new art. We have thus in
miniatures three arts, each pursuing an ideal

close study of the developme::

books on the subject have :

the art in tales of the artisl

an analysis of the results b;|

performance should be vie\:

Many people are interested:

miniaturists because of the ci[_

moved, and extensive inquir=_

art for the glimpses it aff= &

personages who once occupifE

That is not the point of view ET

— us

regard the Beauchamp collec=—
the critical line adopted in th=-
I shall attempt a closer exami EJ?
work.

0
08

"AN elizabethan maundy." attributed to

Nicholas hilliard One of the most perfect = m ^- c

LXXI. No. 293.—August 1917 E q ^'

f O

I o .

E E