By Madeleine Cater, Cataloguer at Fellows Auctioneers.

A late 18th to early 19th century gold portrait miniature pendant
A late 18th to early 19th century gold portrait miniature pendant, depicting an officer of the First Royal Regiment of Foot, by Richard Cosway (1742-1821).

Nestled amongst the dazzling rings and earrings in Fellows Auctioneers' November 2020 Fine Jewellery sale sits two slightly more understated, but no less impressive, portrait miniatures. A miniature painted by one of the leading miniaturists of the Regency era, Richard Cosway, has a guide price of £900 - £1400, while another portrait painted by Cosway’s pupil Andrew Plimer is estimated to make £700 - £900.

Cosway’s miniature depicts an officer of the First Royal Regiment of Foot, and is framed within a gold pendant, with a lock of hair encased in the reverse. Plimer’s miniature similarly contains hairwork to the reverse, and depicts a painting of a lady dressed in a plain white dress.

Portrait miniatures first appeared in England in the sixteenth century and quickly became a popular art form due to their portability and artistic detail. Often considered symbols of intimacy, favour and possession miniatures were frequently mounted in lockets, like the examples in this sale, in order for the owner to wear them and keep them close to their person. Before photography, this was the only way to keep a visual memory of a person. Soldiers, like the sitter in Cosway’s portrait, often gave miniatures to their loved ones before they left for war.

Miniaturists played a key role in the artistic landscape of England in the eighteenth century, at a time when artists were making a concerted effortto establish an ‘English School’ of art. When the Royal Academy of Arts was founded in 1768, Cosway was one of the first group of associate members which indicates his central position as an important artist of the time. He is included in Johan Zoffany’s group portrait of the first Academicians of the Royal Academy (painted 1771-72). He was later appointed ‘Painter to the Prince of Wales’ in 1785.

A late 18th to early 19th century portrait miniature of a lady
A late 18th to early 19th century portrait miniature of a lady, by Andrew Plimer, within a hairwork reverse, glazed locket.

Andrew Plimer originally trained as a clockmaker in Somerset. Not content with this way of life, he ran away from home with his brother and initially toured with a travelling troupe. He eventually settled in London, just as the city was experiencing rapid economic growth, and originally worked as Cosway’s servant. In time, Cosway took Plimer on as his student which is indicative of how successful both Cosway and the miniature market was at this time. Plimer went on to exhibit at the Royal Academy alongside his teacher, and we can see the likeness of painting style between the two miniatures for sale in this auction. Both artists use a similarly cool palette and convey expression through the eyes of their sitter.

The invention of photography saw a decline in the demand of portrait miniatures from the nineteenth century onwards. Since then they have seen a new lease of life in the auction market. The ideal collector’s item because of their small size, a portrait miniature by Cosway or Plimer is also highly desirable because of their standing in the history of English painting.