The reign of Queen Victoria spanned a period of dramatic technical advance in the art of portrait miniature painting. Victoria's patronage of the leading miniaturists of the time, and the high regard in which she held these diminutive paintings, made her a powerful advocate of the art form. Yet by the close of the Victorian age, the photograph had usurped its role, and the number of practitioners of miniature painting had dwindled almost to nothing. The Royal Collection contains one of the largest and most comprehensive groups of miniatures in existence. This catalogue traces the last great flourish of this art form during Victoria's first two decades on the throne. The catalogue throws light on the royal couple's preoccupation with genealogy and the way in which, after the death of the Prince Consort, the wearing of miniatures took on a central role in the etiquette of bereavement and mourning.

The reign of Queen Victoria spanned a period of dramatic technical advance in the art of portrait painting, and her patronage helped drive the growth of the art form. Yet by the close of the nineteenth century, the photograph had usurped the role of the portrait miniature, and the number of practitioners had dwindled almost to nothing. The Royal Collection houses one of the largest groups of portrait miniatures in existence. Here, in two large volumes, are the more than one thousand pieces of this collection from leading miniaturists of the time--all newly photographed for this catalog. Descriptions and genealogical tables cast light on the central role miniatures occupied in sustaining Victoria's contact with her extended family throughout Europe, particularly in the etiquette surrounding bereavement. The first detailed treatment of Victorian-age portrait miniatures, this catalog traces the last great flourish of the art form.