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Portraits
and
Miniatures

About the
Collection

From full-scale portraits to tiny portable miniatures, explore how artists have grappled with the ideas of identity, fashion and celebrity through our portraits collection.

Including portraits of some of the most important figures in British history from King Henry VIII and his children Edward VI and Elizabeth I, to the Persian ambassador Mirza Abu’l Hassan Khan, who negotiated an alliance with George III.

CVCSC:0331.B Reynolds, Mrs Baldwin in Eastern Dress © Compton Verney

In each case, the clothing worn by the sitters helps to convey their identity: from the rich green velvet skirts of the two-year-old boy in Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger’s touching portrait, to the lace shawl of Lady Fawkener, delicately rendered in pastel by French artist Jean-Etienne Liotard.

One of the largest paintings in our collection is Joshua Reynolds’ life-size portrait of the renowned beauty Mrs Baldwin, who wears a turban and a green and gold kaftan. The smallest is Samuel Cooper’s celebrated miniature of Oliver Cromwell in armour. Painted in 1657, four years after he had created himself Lord Protector of the English Commonwealth, Cromwell reportedly urged Cooper to capture him ‘warts & all’.

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Download our gallery guide to find out more the Portraits & Miniatures collection
and the artworks on display in our galleries

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14 items in the collection
Edward, Prince of Wales, later Edward VI

Edward, Prince of Wales, later Edward VI

About 1542
Artist: Follower of Hans Holbein the Younger
King Henry VIII

King Henry VIII

About 1560
Artist: After Hans Holbein the Younger
Queen Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth I

About 1590
Artist: Unknown Artist
Frances Howard, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox (1578–1639)

Frances Howard, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox (1578–1639)

About 1621
Artist: Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger
A Boy aged Two

A Boy aged Two

1608
Artist: Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger
Sir Thomas Knyvett

Sir Thomas Knyvett

About 1569
Artist: Master of the Countess of Warwick (active 1567-69)
Lady Fawkener

Lady Fawkener

About 1760
Artist: Jean-Etienne Liotard
Mrs Baldwin in Eastern Dress

Mrs Baldwin in Eastern Dress

1782
Artist: Sir Joshua Reynolds
King Edward VI

King Edward VI

About 1550
Artist: William Scrots
Horatio, Admiral Nelson, KB

Horatio, Admiral Nelson, KB

1797
Artist: Lemuel Francis Abbott
Mirza Abu'l Hassan Khan

Mirza Abu'l Hassan Khan

1809-10
Artist: Sir William Beechey R.A
Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell

1657
Artist: Samuel Cooper
The Grand Walk, Vauxhall Gardens

The Grand Walk, Vauxhall Gardens

About 1751
Artist: Canaletto
The Interior of the Rotunda, Ranelagh

The Interior of the Rotunda, Ranelagh

About 1751
Artist: Canaletto