In Spain the painter Goya executed some fine miniatures. Hans Bol (1543-93) in Hol land gained considerable reputation.
The United States is best represented in this field by the portrait painters, Copley, Gilbert Stuart and Peale. Malbone (1777-1807), how ever, was the first great American miniaturist. His portraits show warmth and depth, and by their excellence placed American miniature on an equal footing with those of foreign con temporary artists. Fraser, his contemporary, Miles and George Freeman also deserve men tion.
The introduction of photography greatly lessened the demand for small portraits and the life of the art of miniature was threatened. However, it was not long before the superior artistic merit of the little paintings began to awaken a new interest in discriminating per sons, and an important revival of the art took place in the latter part of the 19th century. Miniature still flourishes, although the popular demand has relegated it to a comparatively minor place.
Of miniature collections one of the very finest is that of J. P. Morgan (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York). Excellent col lections are in the possession of the king of England, the queen of Holland and also at the Louvre, Amsterdam, Berlin, Petrograd, Vienna, Florence, Stockholm and Helsingfors. Private collections of fine quality belong to notable families in England.
Bibliography.--Ferrand, 'Traite de peinture en email et en miniature' (Paris 1732) ; Mayol, 'Introduction a la miniature' (Paris 1771) ; 'Ecole de miniature' (Leipzig 1776) ; Propert, J. L., 'History of Miniature Art' (London 1887) ; Bradley, J. W., 'Dictionary of Minia turists, Calligraphers and Copyists, From the Establishment of Christianity to the 18th Cen tury) (London 1887-89) ; Williamson, 'Por trait Miniatures from the Time of Holbein 1531, to that of William Ross, 1860' (London 1897) ; Wharton, A. H., 'Heirlooms in Minia tures' (Philadelphia 1898) ; Foster, J. J., 'Min iature Painters, British and Foreign,' and 'British Miniature Painters and Their Works' (New York 1903) ; Leichsing, Sildnis Muniaturmalerei in Osterreich' (Vienna 1905) ; Heath, D.. 'Miniatures) (London 1908) ; Faust, C., 'Les Miniatures de l'Empire et de la Restau ration) (Paris 1913). Consult also the cata logues of the various collections.
MINIg, mee-nee-ay, Claude Etienne, French soldier and inventor: b. Paris, 1814; d. 1879. He enlisted in the army as a private when very young and left as a colonel in 1858. He devoted himself to the perfecting of fire-arms and in 1849 invented the Minie rifle and bullet. In 1858 the Khedive of Egypt appointed him director of a small arms factory and musketry school in Cairo.