Treasures to Hold

This catalogue has been produced to accompany an exhibition of Irish and English miniatures held from October to December 2000. It also contains an updated illustrated summary catalogue of the entire collection. Portrait miniatures, small enough to fit in the palm of the hand, are uique among works of art for their highly personal associations. Recording the intimate sentiments of love, courtship, marriage or commemoration, this art form became highly popular in England and Ireland during the period c.1650-1850, until the advent of photography. This in-depth work looks at artists such as Horace and Nathaniel Hone, John Comerford, Richard Cosway, Adam and Frederick Buck, Samuel Cooper, Charles Robertson and the Bone family. It is a comprehensive examination of the Irish miniature and the interaction of Irish and English miniaturists.