British Portrait Miniatures: The Cleveland Museum of Art Hardcover – December 3, 2013

So far, all the books on miniature paintings have miniature pictures. This book has lovely LARGE pictures of the paintings and I love to sit and stare at them. Making them larger increases my amazement at the talent and patience that the artists have rendered in their stunning portraits. It also shows them smaller and front and back, some with locks of hair attached.It has bio's of all artists included. I feel like I found a treasure in this rare!

I purchased this book and wanted to give it a brief review here. It is a beautifully photographed and produced book. The close up and magnified images are stunning. Most of the images are from 17th and 18th century Miniatures, although there are several Hilliard and Oliver examples. I started reading the text and found myself irritated by the barely passing mention of the miniaturists who came before and actually taught the "great" Hilliard (folks like Hornebolt, Holbein and Teerlink) who, rather than Hilliard, as the book claims, established and developed the portrait miniature as a form in England. My irritation is so extreme that I will be reselling the book. I realize that it is probably because the Museum that sponsored the printing does not have any earlier works in their collection, but it caused me to doubt the researchers depth of knowledge.

Amazing book!

To be fair, the very ill-received first review here gives reasons for ultimately dissing what is otherwise described as a beautiful book. That said, the reasons are shallow. This book is not titled "All British Portrait Miniatures," rather, only it only covers those in the Cleveland Museum of Art. The reviewer faults the author for only analyzing and discussing the art in the museum which published the book. If I read a book about its holdings published by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, I surely wouldn't expect to read about the art works in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, would I?This is indeed a pretty book. The pictures are gorgeous and, well, when you get detailed close-ups of miniature paintings...it's like putting them under a microscope--so happy! The research is well-written. The whole book is a good read or enjoyable if you can just browse the pictures. This intimacy these pictures reveal brings you into Tudor England. Henry VIII chose wives based on paintings. Elizabeth I looked fondly at her loved ones every night before she went to sleep. Nobles and royalty carried their lovers' images in lockets or pendents on their breast, whether as a necklace or in a pocket.Other books about miniatures you might enjoy include Artists of the Tudor Court: The Portrait Miniature Rediscovered, 1520-1620: 9 July-6 November 1983, the Victoria & Albert Museum The Arte of Limning: A More Compendious Discourse Concerning Ye Art of Liming (Fyfield Books) Miniatures (Ashmolean Handbooks)

Great colour printing, exceptional close-up images, and detailed description of each miniature and its history. Now one of my favourite books on British portrait miniatures.