Камерний емалевий портрет XVIII сторіччя
Chamber enamel portrait of the XVIII century

Summary/Abstract: The article analyzes the development path of enamel portrait from the XVI to XVIII century. Particular attention is paid to the chamber enamel miniature portraits of the XVIII century especially, since these portraits are not only works of art, but also historical documents. Unfortunately, they are rather overlooked in most studies where they are mentioned, as are all works of painted enamel. Attribution of such portraits is of increased complexity due to their great popularity at the time, and a large number of artists who created them. However, due to the high level of performance and precision of detail, we are able to date the work. Consequently, the Chamber enamel portraits need to be scrutinized with consideration to cultural and historical context and in turn are a rich source of information. Portrait - a special genre of fine art, through which we have the opportunity to meet people from the past. Portraits in the technique of painted enamel have a long history, starting from the XVI century, and they always have been developed according to the general artistic trends. In the XVIII century chamber enamel portraits that were gifts for the relatives become particularly popular. For us, this portrait enamellar is particularly interesting in that it not only transmits the appearance, but also reveals a human personality to us, because it was written to create the effect of presence for the generations to come. Chamber portraits illustrate human relationships. In addition, they, like any other portrait, reflect the then prevailing fashion. Portrait miniature appeared in the Renaissance. Its appearance had great influence by medieval art book miniatures. XVI century was the heyday of Limoges painted enamel, and during this time, one of the most famous masters - Leonard Limozin, had worked. His specialty was precisely portraiture, and he left us a portrait gallery, which includes more than 125 portraits of his famous contemporaries. Most of them were portraits of the King and close to him, because at that time it was very popular to collect images of famous people. Very interesting, in our opinion, is the portrait of Henry II on horseback. The portrait was done in the spirit of the art of ancient Rome. All portraits made by Limozin Léonard are of extremely high artistic level, including not only images of men, but also women and even children. Production of enamel portraits continued throughout all of next century. Generally, miniature enamel portraits, according to their purpose, can be divided into two groups. The first are those that were made and were given as a reward for special services - such miniatures usually repeated formal portraits of monarchs. The second group miniature enamel portraits reflected ordinary people and they are much more interesting for us. They are not the only evidence of social life, but have a much more sensitive nature. Long before the invention of photography, people have tried to capture their image and give it to a close relative as a memory of themselves. So miniature portrait was not only aesthetic, but above all of practical value and - it was written to create the effect of a man's character when he was no longer around. Such portraits are more delicate, intimate things. Their main objective was not only the total image transfer, but the transfer of the special characteristics of each person, so the owner always felt a spiritual connection with the images. Such portraits are seen becoming more popular in late XVII - XVIII century. Often miniature portrait was part of the wedding ceremony, for example, brought as a present for future husband (wife,) or even portraits of newlyweds written in memory of the special event. These portraits are kept in many museums around the world, where the tendency is to plate them in decorated textile wallet. The oldest one dates back to a 1600 budget year and is the work of Jean Limozin. But their production is becoming really popular in the XVIII century. A person’s portrayed usually shown at a 3/4 angle to if the couple looked at each other and the audience simultaneously. Typically, the portrait was round or oval, surrounded by swirls of white gold on a black or dark blue background. Unfortunately, not all portraits preserved textile frame. For example, wedding purse, which is part of the collection of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, is preserved fairly well, and gives us an idea of what they looked like. His portrait adorns Marquis de Dune, made by master of the family Nualye in the XVIII century. Also a well-preserved wedding purse with paired female and male portraits authorship Jacques II Lodena is preserved in Louvre. Similar portraits are preserved in a collection of National Museum of Western and Oriental Art in Kiev. Probably both of these portraits were executed Jacques II Loden late XVII - early XVIII century. It is indicated by the IL monogram on a female portrait. Also, the similarity of the frame and dark background portrait from the collection in Louvre and the portraits stored at the Kyiv Museum. Although it should be noted that although the frame was similar in portraits painted by artists from the family Nualye, the background of the portrait in Marques de Dune’s one was light. In general, the precise attribution of enamel portrait is quite problematic in the absence of direct information or signatures. In fact, whilst they were quite popular, most of them were manufactured by working masters, according to the contemporary fashion images of that time. In addition, the secrets of the skill were passed down for generations from master to his disciple, and so often it was a family affair. Because of this, today it may sometimes be difficult to attribute works to a particular name, as names and initials of many artists are the same. Consequently, the Chamber enamel portrait requires a more detailed study of the incorporation of cultural and historical situation into portraits which, in turn, is a rich source of information.

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