What is a blue watercolour portrait?

It is a painted likeness on paper, ivory, or card where blue pigments feature prominently in the attire, background, or subject matter. These works range from small pocket-sized miniatures to larger framed watercolours. Artists from the Georgian, Regency, and Victorian eras created these pieces to commemorate family members, military officers, or notable personalities using delicate water-based pigments.

How were portrait miniatures displayed?

Many miniatures were framed in timber, ebonised wood, or housed inside protective cases meant for travel. Owners often wore them as pendants set in gold frames. Domestic interiors also displayed framed watercolours on walls or placed them upon mantelpieces within supportive wooden surrounds.

How can I date a portrait miniature?

Dating relies heavily on the clothing styles, hairstyles, and framing techniques characteristic of periods like the Georgian, Regency, or Victorian eras. High collars, powdered hair, and specific bonnet shapes offer clear chronological markers. Inscribed labels, paper backs, and signatures on the reverse or front of the painting also assist in establishing an accurate period.

Are these watercolours painted on ivory?

Several 18th and 19th-century portrait miniatures utilise thin slices of ivory as the primary painting surface. This organic substrate provides a warm luminosity beneath translucent watercolour washes. Other works in the collection utilise paper, card, or pith paper depending on the regional origin and the specific decade of creation.

Home > Blue Watercolour Portrait > Page 5

Blue Watercolour Portrait

72 items · page 5 of 5

← Page 5 of 5 →

These blue watercolour portrait examples capture likenesses in delicate washes, often set in gold frames or ivory panels from Georgian and Victorian eras.