MINIATURE PAINTING. This term is usually applied to portraits painted on a very small scale, and commonly executed in water colours on ivory, some times on vellum or on paper. Miniatures are also sometimes executed in oil colours.
Although this department of art, from the reduced scale on which its operations are conducted, and the de licacy of handling necessarily resulting from this, is incapable of conveying so completely the grander ex pressions of character, so striking in the portraits of Titian and Vandyke, to which the larger dimensions, and consequent breadth of manner and vigour of style, so powerfully contribute; it nevertheless possesses many advantages from its portable dimensions, and is equally ,susceptible of fidelity of resemblance, and beauty of execution. As in reference to composition, design, ehiar'oscuro, and colouring, it is regulated by the same general principles as the other departments of the art, (See PAINTING,) we shall restrict ourselves at present to the various processes and practical details, by which miniature painting is executed.
Ivory is the substance on which miniatures are most commonly executed, being greatly superior to paper, vellum, or any other material, and, in the hand of a skilful artist, is capable of giving all the depth, rich ness, and brilliancy of colour, and power of effect, of an oil picture. The ivory is obtained in the shops, sawn into thin plates: That which is clearest and most transparent is the best, receives the colours most rea dily, and bears better repeated touching.
The ivory is to he prepared by first removing from its surface the marks of the saw, by means of the scraper, an instrument (the same as that used by en gravers) consisting of three sharp edges, of the form of a triangular or saw file. The ivory is then laid upon a flat piece of ground-glass, and dusted over with finely pulverized pumice stone, previously sifted through fine gauze; a little distilled vinegar is poured upon it, and the whole well rubbed with a glass muller. When this process has been continued for a few minutes, it is washed with clean water and dried ; it is then well rubbed with dry pumice dust and a piece of chamois leather, and is fit for use ; having been, by this opera tion, deprived of the gloss and fine polish communi cated by the scraper. Some artists use only the pumice dust dry, without the distilled vinegar ; but the latter seems to be of considerable importance in removing the grease, or other animal matters, which all ivory con tains. In addition to the pumice dust, which is indis
pensable to give a proper surface to the ivory, some. in order to whiten it more completely, boil it along with fuller's earth, and others bleach it by exposure to the action of the sun's rays ; but the process which we have first mentioned will in most cases answer every purpose that can be desired, both as to colour and surface, if the ivory be of a good quality.
When the ivory is fully prepared, it is fixed upon a piece of fine white card paper, by means of a spot or two of gum ../Irabic, and thus is obviated any disadvan tage arising from the transparency of the ivory.
The outline is sketched out with a warm neutral tint, applied with a fine hair pencil. Some artists make use of a black lead pencil for this purpose ; but, as it is much more easy to make corrections with the water colours, the former method is preferable. The whole face is washed over with a very delicate tint, according to the complexion required ; as, for instance, in a dark complexion, a wash of light red; for a fair one, a wash of yellow ochre or vermillion. The half tints, and darker shadows, are to be made out, the former with a neutral tint, composed of lake, a small portion of Indian red, and a little blue, which form a reddish pearly hue, the latter with lake and Vandyke brown. The delicate shadows are to be made out in a broad and flat manner, and the deeper markings are to be added, rounding them delicately into the neutral tint, accord ing to the effect on the model. This neutral, or half tint, makes a good warm preparation for the more de cided colours. Others compose a good neutral tint of Indian red, indigo, and burnt terra di Sienna. The general effect of the face being thus made out, the more positive colours, such as the reds of the chei•k, and other fleshy tones, are to be introduced, and may be formed by a mixture of light red and a little lake. The yellows are to be strengthened where it may be judged necessary, and the face will now have received all its warm tints, which are to be harmonized by the judici ous intermixture of the cold colours.