Portrait of Benjamin Hopkinson
c. 1703 (?)
Medium
Watercolor on ivory
Dimensions
Framed: 6.7 × 5.7 cm (2 5/8 × 2 1/8 in.)
Classification
miniature painting
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
8282
Art Historical Context
This delicate miniature portrait captures Benjamin Hopkinson in the refined style typical of early eighteenth-century British portraiture. Created around 1703 by an unknown English artist, the work belongs to a tradition of small-scale likenesses that flourished among the gentry and merchant classes. Its modest size—just over two inches wide—suggests it was designed for intimate viewing, perhaps carried in a pocket or set into a locket as a personal memento. The choice of watercolor on ivory highlights the technical sophistication of the period. Ivory’s smooth, luminous surface allowed artist...