Conservation & Care.

Portrait miniatures began as small paintings in watercolour on vellum (called ‘limnings’), and evolved to be painted in watercolour on ivory from the early 18th century. Portrait enamels, small oil on copper portraits and plumbagos (small graphite drawings on vellum) are also considered to fall under the umbrella term ‘portrait miniature’.

Each type of small portrait has different conservation needs – for example, enamel portraits can be shown in direct sunlight, but graphite drawings will suffer from discolouration to the bare vellum or paper.

Presentation options can include hanging wall cabinets (glazed with museum glass) or vitrines. If hung directly on a wall, an interior wall is preferable as these tend to be less prone to damp.

When properly and securely framed, portrait miniatures can be seen as surprisingly robust – after all, they were often worn or dispatched far and wide, sometimes crossing continents. When kept in stable conditions, away from direct light or extreme changes in temperature, portrait miniatures can be conserved for generations to come.

Our conservation consultant, Alan Derbyshire, was formerly Head of Paper, Books and Paintings conservation at the Victoria and Albert Museum, where he worked for 37 years. In 2018, Alan was awarded the Plowden Medal for significant contribution to the advancement of the conservation profession and in particular, to the field of paper conservation and the conservation of portrait miniatures. Alan works for various dealers, private collectors and institutions around the world.

For further information about conservation, please contact alanderbyshire@hotmail.co.uk.