Chats on Old Miniatures — Context and Discussion

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Authors: Foster, J. J. (Joshua James), 1847-1923 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2014 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Miniature painting Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

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Words 54,741

Reading time 239 min

Text sections 9

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Source: Project Gutenberg record #47512

An analysis of J. J. Foster's 1908 guide to miniature painting, focusing on his authorial choices in diction, dialogue, and description. The note examines his conversational tone, precise technical language, and use of anecdotal evidence to discuss artists like Petitot and Cosway.

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I. ON COLLECTING MINIATURES AND THE CARE OF THEM 19

II. ORIGIN OF MINIATURES, AND A METHOD OF PAINTING THEM 43

III. CONCERNING ENAMELS AND ENAMEL PAINTERS 63

IV. HOLBEIN, AND EARLY MINIATURE PAINTERS 95

V. NICHOLAS HILLIARD 123

VI. THE OLIVERS AND HOSKINS 145

VII. SAMUEL COOPER 171

IX. SOME GEORGIAN ARTISTS 211

X. COSWAY AND HIS CONTEMPORARIES 229

XI. THE LAST OF THE OLD SCHOOL 261

XII. ROYAL AND PRIVATE COLLECTIONS 279

XIII. PUBLIC COLLECTIONS 301

XIV. THE FRENCH SCHOOL OF MINIATURE PAINTERS 325

_Portrait of a Lady_, by J. Mansion (Wallace Collection).

CHAPTER I.--ON COLLECTING MINIATURES AND THE CARE OF THEM.

_Lady Villiers_ and _Katharine, Fifth Duchess of Leeds_, by R. Cosway, R.A. (Col. W. H. Walker) 23

_Louisa of Stolberg_, a Jacobite badge (A. Lang, Esq.) _Mr. Barbor and the Barbor Jewel_ (Victoria and Albert Museum). _Charles I. in his own hair_ (Shelley family) 29

_Queen Elizabeth_ (Harcourt family). _Miss Pretyman_, by R. Cosway, R.A. (J. Davison, Esq.) 37

CHAPTER II.--ORIGIN OF MINIATURES, AND A METHOD OF PAINTING THEM.

_A Philospher_, Fifteenth-century Missal (Wallace Collection) 47

_Sir Walter Raleigh_ and _Walter Raleigh, jun._, unknown (Duke of Rutland) 51

_Back of the Enamel Case containing the Raleigh Portraits_ (Duke of Rutland) 55

_Sir John Hatton and his Mother_, ascribed to Lucas de Heere (Earl Spencer) 59

CHAPTER III.--CONCERNING ENAMELS AND ENAMEL PAINTERS.

_C. F. Zincke and his wife_, after J. Hysing 67

_Jeremiah Meyer, R.A._, after Dance. _Nathaniel Hone, R.A._, by Himself 71

_Thomas Howard_, by Sir A. More (Duke of Norfolk). _Edmond Butts_, by John Bettes (National Gallery) 77

_Henry Brandon_, by Hans Holbein the Younger (H.M. the King). _Hans Holbein the Younger_, by Himself (from a drawing at Basle). _Charles Brandon_, by Hans Holbein the Younger (H.M. the King) 81

_A Burgomaster_, by Hans Holbein the Younger (H.M. the King). _Lady Audley_, by Hans Holbein the Younger (H.M. the King) 85

_Catharine of Arragon_, by Hans Holbein the Younger. _Henry VIII._, by Hans Holbein the Younger (H.M. the King). _Henry, Duke of Richmond_, by Hans Holbein the Younger (H.M. the King) 91

CHAPTER IV.--HOLBEIN, AND EARLY MINIATURE PAINTERS.

_Nicholas Hilliard_, by Himself (from Penshurst). _Lady Mary Sidney_, by N. Hilliard (Harcourt family) 99

_Henry VII._, by N. Hilliard (H.M. the King). _Charles the First when Prince of Wales_, by Isaac Oliver (Duke of Rutland). _Spenser_ (Lord Fitzhardinge) 103

_Isaacus Oliverus, Anglus Pictor_ (from a print in the British Museum) 107

_Venetia, Lady Digby_, by I. Oliver (Burdett-Coutts Collection). _I. Oliver_, by Himself (H.M. the King) 111

_Sir Kenelm Digby_ and _Venetia, Lady Digby_, by Peter Oliver (Burdett-Coutts Collection) 115

_Frances Howard, Countess of Somerset_, by Isaac Oliver. _Peter Oliver_, after Sir A. Van Dyck. _Arabella Stuart_, by Peter Oliver (Capt. J. H. Edwards, Heathcote) 119

CHAPTER V.--NICHOLAS HILLIARD.

_Charles I._, by John Hoskins (H.M. the King). _Duke of Buckingham_, by Isaac Oliver (H.M. the King) 126

_Oliver Cromwell_, by S. Cooper (Duke of Devonshire). _Oliver Cromwell_, by S. Cooper (Duke of Sutherland) 129

_George Monck, Duke of Albemarle_, by S. Cooper (H.M. the King) 133

_Duchess of Cleveland_, by S. Cooper (Countess of Caledon). _O. Cromwell's Mother._ _Lady Leigh_, by S. Cooper (Sackville Bale Collection) 137

_Sir John King_, by Alexander Cooper (H.M. the King). _S. Cooper_, by Himself (Dyce Collection) 141

CHAPTER VI.--THE OLIVERS AND HOSKINS.

_Petitot_, by Himself. _Mlle. Fontanges_, by Petitot. _Henrietta d'Orleans_, by Petitot (Burdett-Coutts Collection) 151

_Louis XIV._, by Petitot. _Charles I._, by Petitot (Burdett-Coutts Collection). _James II._, by Petitot (Burdett-Coutts Collection). _Cardinal Mazarin_, by Petitot (Earl of Carlisle). _Cardinal Richelieu_, by Petitot 157

_Petitot le Vieux_, by Petitot (Earl Dartrey). _Petitot_, from a print in the British Museum. _Charles II._, by Petitot (Burdett-Coutts Collection) 163

CHAPTER VII.--SAMUEL COOPER.

_Lady Mary Wortley Montagu_, by S. Liotard. _Amelia, Duchess of Leinster_, after Sir Joshua Reynolds (Earl of Charlemont) 174

_A Lady_, unknown (Lord Tweedmouth). _Sarah Jennings, Duchess of Marlborough_, by Gaspar Netscher (Charles Butler, Esq.) 177

_Duchess of Hamilton_, by W. Derby (Earl of Derby). _Miss Kitty Mudge_, by James Nixon (Canon Raffles Flint) 181

_Marchioness of Hertford_, by R. Cosway, R.A. (Meynell-Ingram Collection). _Portrait of a Gentleman_, by S. Shelley (Miss Kendall). _Lady Frances Radcliffe_, by S. Collins (Earl of Carlisle) 185

_Lady Elizabeth Hamilton_, by W. Derby (Earl of Derby) 189

CHAPTER VIII.--PETITOT.

_Richard and Maria Cosway_, by R. Cosway, R.A. 195

_Lady Caroline Howard_, by R. Cosway, R.A. (Earl of Carlisle). _William, fifth Duke of Devonshire_, by R. Cosway, R.A. (Earl of Carlisle). _Lady Horatio Seymour_, by R. Cosway, R.A. 199

_George IV. when Prince of Wales_, by R. Cosway, R.A. (Shaftesbury family) 203

_Lady Caroline Duncombe_, by R. Cosway, R.A. (W. B. Stopford, Esq.). _The Ladies Georgina and Harriet Cavendish_, by R. Cosway, R.A. (Earl of Carlisle) 207

CHAPTER IX.--SOME GEORGIAN ARTISTS.

_R. Cosway, R.A._, by Himself (National Portrait Gallery) 213

_Lady Hamilton_ (J. H. Anderdon, Esq.). _Lady Theresa Strangways_, by A. Plimer 216

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J. J. Foster opens his 1908 volume with a characteristic self-deprecation, calling the title "Chats on Old Miniatures" a "misnomer" because he has "done all the talking." This framing sets the tone for a work that blends connoisseurship with a deliberately informal, almost spoken quality. Foster addresses the reader directly, uses first-person asides, and peppers his prose with evaluative phrases such as "extremely interesting and instructive" and "lovely." His diction is that of a knowledgeable collector speaking to a fellow enthusiast, not a dry academic treatise.

Conversational Framing and Direct Address

Foster's preface establishes a persona of the genial expert. He thanks his publishers for including the book in a "certain well-known series" and acknowledges Miss E. M. Foster's help in proofreading. Throughout the excerpts, he uses phrases like "I may mention" and "I have only to add one word." This conversational register extends to his descriptions: he calls a Petitot portrait of Henrietta, Duchess of Orleans, "perhaps the most beautiful of all his works." Such evaluative language is typical of Foster's approach; he does not merely describe but judges, guiding the reader's taste. The effect is that of a guided tour through a private collection, with Foster as the loquacious host.

Precision in Technical and Material Details

Foster's descriptions are grounded in material specifics. He notes that Petitot "generally used plates of gold or silver, seldom copper" for his enamels, and that the borders of wreaths of enamelled flowers were the work of Jules Legarré, goldsmith to the King. He also records that Bruckmann, a Swede, supplied enamel portraits "by the dozen" to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These details are not mere trivia; they anchor Foster's judgments in observable fact. When discussing Lawrence Crosse, he remarks on his "fondness for blue drapery—so well shown in the Duke of Portland's Collection." The specificity of the collection and the colour choice gives the observation weight.

Anecdotal Evidence and Provenance

Foster frequently enlivens his text with anecdotes of provenance. He quotes Horace Walpole on a Charles I miniature: "I have a fine head of Charles I., for which he probably sat, as it is not like any I have seen by Van Dyck." He then traces the miniature's journey from Petitot's son, a major in the British service, to the Burdett-Coutts Collection. Such stories do more than authenticate; they create a sense of historical continuity. Foster also mentions that the portrait of Cardinal Richelieu is mounted in a "lovely chased gold and jasper snuff-box, which once belonged to the King of Saxony." These details appeal to the collector's instinct for pedigree and rarity.

Characterisation of Artists Through Style and Habit

Foster characterises artists by their working methods and personal quirks. Of Jean Etienne Liotard, he writes that he was "of somewhat irregular habits and uncertain methods of work," known in Paris as "le Turc" because "Oriental costumes had a fascination for him." He cites Walpole's opinion that Liotard's "likenesses were as exact as possible." For Cosway, Smart, and Humphrey, he notes their professional milestones: Cosway elected Royal Academician in 1773, Humphrey setting out for Italy with Romney, Smart made Vice-President of the Incorporated Society of Artists. These biographical markers serve as shorthand for their artistic standing, allowing Foster to build a hierarchy of reputation without lengthy analysis.

Foster's chatty yet precise style rewards readers who attend to his offhand remarks and provenance stories. His judgments are always tied to specific works, collections, or technical details, making the book a useful companion for examining miniatures in person. The reader is encouraged to look for the material clues Foster highlights: the metal support, the border work, the colour palette. His voice, though of its time, remains a clear guide to the connoisseur's eye.

That reminded me of my grandfather’s long afternoons, turning pages of his old art books, pausing on each tiny face. He loved how Foster made a painter’s life feel like a conversation. There was a similar quiet devotion in those Scottish pages, where faith’s small details became enduring portraits of courage. Annals of the persecution in Scotland — Background and Themes held that same patient reverence, a still hush over human endurance.