A Man with the Initials CJD
Medium
Ivory
Dimensions
Oval, 1 3/4 x 1 3/8 in. (45 x 34 mm)
Classification
Miniatures
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Moses Lazarus Collection, Gift of Josephine and Sarah Lazarus, in memory of their father, 1888–95
Accession Number
95.14.54
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate miniature portrait, titled *A Man with the Initials CJD*, captures the refined tradition of European portraiture in a remarkably intimate format. Painted on ivory by an unidentified Northern European artist, the oval work measures just 1 3/4 by 1 38 inches, making it perfectly suited for personal keepsakes such as lockets or snuffboxes. The smooth, luminous surface of ivory allowed painters to achieve subtle gradations of color and fine detail, lending the sitter a lifelike presence despite the tiny scale. Miniature portraits like this one flourished across Northern Europe from ...