Few know of it, but the National Museum in Warsaw may well be the proud owner of Poland’s largest collection of portrait miniatures. Out of the array of over 1,150 objects, a set of 182 of the finest have been chosen to present an overview of this already forgotten field of artistic activity which still evokes positive aesthetic feelings and great impressions.

These small portraits were used to commemorate important events in our ancestors’ lives, i.e. birth, betrothal, marriage, separation and departure.

The collection of miniatures held at the Tarnowski family Palace in Dzików was on show in beautiful cabinets specifically designed for this purpose. This was a source of inspiration for our own display, which was exhibited at the Royal Castle in Warsaw in 1994. We have arranged the objects in such a way that each distinctive school of miniature painting is represented. The first two showcases present miniatures by the Polish masters from the second half of the 18th century and the 19th century, while the others feature a selection of miniatures from various European centres such as France and later, Vienna.

The prevailing shape of miniatures has changed over the centuries and developed from round medallions painted with oils on tin, which is exemplified by the Bavarian elector’s portrait of 1586, or copper. They were also produced on parchment, vellum, cardboard, and paper. Towards the end of the 17th century, this form of painting miniatures progressed to using oval, thin and almost transparent sheets made from specially prepared ivory. From that moment on, the form of the portrait miniature was at the peak of its popularity and perfection. The use of stippling and the dotting technique, combined with a technique of  intersecting lines, gouache and watercolours, required high skill and patience from the artist. In the 18th century, experiments were highly valued; in this spirit, new ways of preparing bones were sought so that the paint could better adhere to the support, which was a considerable problem when using bones. The ivory was bleached in the sun, degreased with alcohol and ground with wet pumice powder in such a way that a rough and porous surface was obtained.

Miniatures produced on enamel enjoyed great popularity in those days (Henry Bone, Portrait of George IV as Regent, 1815), as did miniatures on porcelain (Marie-Victoire Jacquotot, Portrait of Maria Walewska, 1813). Besides those already discussed, many other techniques were used, such as fixé, églomisé, silhouettes and relief in wax, bone and formed masses.
 
Miniatures, often in precious jewelled settings, were used to decorate snuffboxes, bracelets, rings, buttons and even furniture. Worthy of note is the fact that, in addition to professional painters, a great number of amateur artists were active in this field of artistry, of which a significant group comprised talented women practicing this discipline. Examples of such accomplished amateurs include Waleria Tarnowska and Beata Czacka. Some of the female artists achieved high professional status, for example Fryderyka Bacciarelli and Cecylia Wyganowska-Duchêne.

Two of the most prominent centres of the time were the French and the English courts, where the watercolour technique was preferred to gouache, helping to obtain delicate effects of luminous greys. The French miniatures, although also painted with watercolours, resemble oil paintings.

The turn of the 18th and the 19th centuries is marked by artistic achievements from the Viennese school and its greatest masters, for example Heinrich Friedrich Fueger and Moritz Michael Daffinger. A free approach to the painting substance obtained by applying paint like tiny drops of water allowed a luminous, pastel-like softness and delicacy in the colour tones.
 
In Poland, especially in the second half of the 18th century and at the beginning of the 19th century, highly skilled miniaturists were active, including Wincenty Lesseur, Józef Kosiński, Franciszek Ksawery Olexiński, Karol d’Avigny and, later, Stanisław Marszałkiewicz, Stanisław Chlebowski, and Franciszek Tepa.
 
With the invention of the daguerreotype in 1839 and then of photography, portrait miniatures lost their raison d’être and many counterfeits and falsified photographs appeared, misleading even experienced collectors. Some artists, such as Grzegorz Sachowicz - a pupil of Stanisław Marszałkiewicz, completely abandoned the time-consuming technique of miniature painting in favour of photography.