The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 23, 2024

Portrait of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough

Portrait of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough

1715
(German, 1683/85–1767)
England, 18th century
enamel on copper in a gilt metal frame
Framed: 6.4 x 5.1 cm (2 1/2 x 2 in.); Sight: 5.9 x 4.8 cm (2 5/16 x 1 7/8 in.)
The Edward B. Greene Collection 1949.549
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Although miniatures are often regarded as a private art form exchanged between loved ones, the nature of this enamel was likely political.

Description

Unlike fragile portrait miniatures painted in watercolor on vellum or ivory, which are prone to cracking, fading, and flaking, enamels are resilient, impervious to the effects of light, and retain their striking original colors over time. Partly for this reason enamel was considered ideal for reproducing famous paintings and treasured portraits in a reduced and luminous form. The complicated and labor-intensive process of enameling required the artist to fire numerous layers of colored metal oxide at different temperatures, which made it difficult to produce a faithful portrait likeness, though masters of the medium were able create portraits of remarkable subtlety imbued with the sitter's personality. The heyday of enamel painting was the late 1600s and early 1700s. Among the enamel specialists was Zincke, who worked in England where he was patronized by Queen Anne, King George I, and King George II.
  • Nyberg, London
    -1949
    (Leo Schidlof (1886-1966), London. England)
    1949
    Edward B. Greene (1878-1957), Cleveland, OH, gifted to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1949-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Cleveland Museum of Art. Portrait Miniatures; The Edward B. Greene Collection. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1951. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 32, no. 49, pl. IV archive.org
    Carlsen, G. Robert. Western Literature; Themes and Writers; Teacher's Resources Guide. St. Louis: Webster Division, McGraw-Hill, 1967. p. 442
    Coffin, Sarah, and Bodo Hofstetter. Portrait Miniatures in Enamel: The Gilbert Collection. London: Philip Wilson in association with the Gilbert Collection, 2000. p. 116
    Korkow, Cory, and Dario Robleto. Disembodied: Portrait Miniatures and Their Contemporary Relatives. 2013. Mentioned: p. 86
    Korkow, Cory, and Jon L. Seydl. British Portrait Miniatures: The Cleveland Museum of Art. 2013. Cat. no. 22, pp. 117-119
  • Disembodied: Portrait Minatures and their Contemporary Relatives. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 10, 2013-February 16, 2014).
    Main European Rotation (Gallery 202), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 23, 2013 - May 20, 2014).
    Main Gallery Rotation (Gallery 202), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (June 20, 2008 - September 22, 2008).
    Intimate Images: Portrait Miniatures from Europe and America. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 26-October 17, 1993).
  • {{cite web|title=Portrait of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|url=false|author=Christian Friedrich Zincke|year=1715|access-date=23 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1949.549