George Engleheart (1750–1829) was one of the greatest English painters of portrait miniatures, and a contemporary of Richard Cosway, John Smart, William Wood, and Richard Crosse.
Portrait of John Dyer Collier, circa 1785, by George Engleheart; watercolour on ivory; V&A Museum no. P.76-1910 Victoria and Albert Museum, London
George Engleheart - Portrait of Unknown Woman – circa 1775 – Victoria & Albert Museum
George Engleheart - Portrait of Unknown Woman – circa 1780 – Frame with bracelet fitting - Victoria & Albert Museum
George Engleheart - Portrait of Unknown Man – circa 1800 – Signed with cursive 'E' on obverse - Victoria & Albert Museum
A portrait miniature is a miniature portrait painting, usually executed in gouache, watercolor, or enamel. Portrait miniatures developed out of the techniques of the miniatures in illuminated manuscripts, and were popular among 16th-century elites, mainly in England and France, and spread across the rest of Europe from the middle of the 18th century, remaining highly popular until the development of daguerreotypes and photography in the mid-19th century. They were usually intimate gifts given within the family, or by hopeful males in courtship, but some rulers, such as James I of England, gave large numbers as diplomatic or political gifts. They were especially likely to be painted when a family member was going to be absent for significant periods, whether a husband or son going to war or emigrating, or a daughter getting married.
A display case with 18th-century portrait miniatures at the National Museum in Warsaw.
Portrait Miniature of Margaret Roper by Hans Holbein the Younger, c. 1535–36
Christian Horneman's miniature portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven (1802).
The future Duke of Wellington in 1808, by Richard Cosway.