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| Portrait Miniature of an Unknown Woman Enamel on Metal Edward Shiercliffe, 1765 The Victoria & Albert Museum |
The art of enameled portraits was first practiced in England in the 1630s by the Swiss goldsmith Jean Petitot who famously worked in the court of King Charles I. Within a few decades, the technique fell out of fashion, but it was reintroduced around 1680 by the Swedish Charles Boit and German Christian Friedrich Zincke--both goldsmiths by trade.
By the early Eighteenth Century a number of miniaturists offered enamel portraits to their clients as an alternative to watercolor on ivory. While some artists preferred ivory as a medium, others excelled with enamel-work. Edward Shiercliffe, who painted the portrait above was known to have specialized in enamel on metal. This technique, actually, has proven to be more long-lasting than the ivory examples since, unlike watercolor, the color of the enamel does not fade when exposed to light.
The quarter-length portrait in miniature depicts an unknown woman wearing a white hat and gown with two pink roses pinned to the bodice. Pearl earrings and necklace denote her wealth and status. The piece was completed by Shiercliffe in 1765.
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