Portrait of a Man
ca. 1780
Medium
Ivory
Dimensions
Oval, 1 1/4 x 1 1/8 in. (32 x 29 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
95.14.55
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the intimate world of 18th-century portraiture with George Engleheart's *Portrait of a Man (ca. 1780), a delicate oval miniature measuring just 1 1/4 x 1 1/8 inches. Crafted during the Georgian era in England, this work captures the refined elegance of Enlightenment portrait traditions, where small-scale likenesses served as cherished personal keepsakes—often worn as jewelry or tucked into pocketbooks by the upper classes. Engleheart, of Britain's foremost miniaturists, excelled in watercolor on ivory, a medium prized for its smooth, luminous surface that allowed for astonishing det...