Portret van een vrouw 1780 - 1831

This portrait of a woman was painted by Richard Collins, who was active in the late 1700s and early 1800s. It’s rendered in watercolor on ivory, a common practice at the time. The choice of ivory as a ground is significant. It was valued for its smooth surface, ideal for capturing fine details, and also for its translucence, which gives the painting a subtle glow. Of course, ivory was a luxury material, and the work involved in turning it into a miniature canvas was considerable, which underscores the sitter’s social position. Collins’ technique involved layering delicate washes of color, building up the form gradually. The labor that went into creating the tiny work would have been considerable. Consider the social context: portrait miniatures like this one were intimate objects, often worn as jewelry or kept as mementos. So, materials, making, and context combine to give us a more complete sense of the artwork's meaning.