Exhibition Themes

This exhibition brings together portrait miniatures and related objects from both The Victoria and Albert Museum and The Barber Institute of Fine Arts (including works on long-term loan) to examine how power has been constructed through miniature portraiture. From courtly traditions of the Northern Renaissance to the early twentieth century, we reveal how miniatures circulated within systems of patronage and artistic exchange and how women contributed to this medium in significant ways.

Drawing attention to the frequently overlooked roles of women as artists, sitters, and patrons of portrait miniatures, this exhibit explores three interrelated themes: Women Artists, Patrons & Sitters, and Women in Empire.

We invite you to consider how these portraits both reflected and shaped power relations, and how acts of looking, commissioning, and circulation contribute to the formation of identity and collective memory, challenging the male-dominated narratives of art history.