Mastery of Design: The Charles Boit Miniature, 1720



Miniature
Charles Boit
Enamel, Gold, Diamonds
1720, France
The Victoria & Albert Museum

 This oval miniature bust length portrait depicts an attractive young lady wearing a pink shawl, her hair adorned with several blue ribbons. The portrait on enamel is set into a frame of rose-cut diamonds which dates to approximately the 1720 creation of the miniature.

Portrait miniatures in enamels became quite popular in the Eighteenth Century. They developed from the decorative work of goldsmiths and watchmakers in the French cities of Blois, Châteaudun and Paris and are a continuation of the fashionable portrait plaques which had been made in the enameling workshops of Limoges in central France during the Sixteenth Century.

In the 1630s, Jean Toutin adapted new techniques of enameling which produced subtle, translucent colors. These techniques are still in practice today and allow for an impressive delicacy of detail. These portraits often were applied to small objects such as watches or snuffboxes, but usually stood alone in jeweled frames such as this.

This particular example is the work of enamel artist Charles Boit who was well respected for his ability to create light and shade in his miniatures. Boit’s subjects often showed an openness of expression due to their large eyes. Though this miniature is not signed, we can tell by the figure that this was the work of Boit’s hand.