Until the 18th century, the aristocratic family never take care of the baby personally, the young children was given to a nourish. With the influence of jean Jacques Rousseau, the manner of education change and the aristocracy, as Marie Antoinette, began to take care personally of their baby’s, but breastfeeding herself is still very modern for this time DECIDED TO BE PORTRAITS LIKE THIS IS A REAL “ACTIVIST” DECISION- that is why this miniature is so exceptional . A particularly rare and interesting European portrait miniature from the eighteenth century, depicting a young mother breastfeeding her infant, in an intimate composition combining a personal portrait with the motif of motherhood, nourishment and the emotional bond between a mother and her child. The work was executed in watercolours on a natural substrate and is set into the lid of a magnificent circular box made of tortoiseshell, with an inner gold mount surrounding the painting. The mother is depicted seated, wearing a white dress with a wide neckline, while her infant rests on her lap and is supported by her arms. The infant turns its face towards the mother's breast, and one of its hands is raised and touches the neckline area. In the background are a broad architectural column, a heavy curtain falling in rich folds, a stone balustrade and an opening onto a natural landscape, including trees and bright skies. The painting is characterised by delicate treatment of the facial features, pearly skin tones, soft shading and meticulous depiction of the hair, fabrics and the infant's body. **The choice to depict a woman from the affluent classes in a moment of personal breastfeeding gives the work particular historical and social interest, in the context of changing perceptions of motherhood and education in Europe in the late eighteenth century.** The combination of the painting's quality, the intimate subject, the architectural background and the jewellery-like box gives the piece artistic, historical and collectible significance. Description of the Portrait – The Young Mother The mother is depicted seated, in an extended half-length composition, with her body turned slightly to one side and her face directed almost straight towards the viewer. Her face has a refined oval shape, fair skin in pearly tones, relatively dark eyes, thin, carefully shaped eyebrows and a calm, restrained expression. Her nose is straight and delicate, her lips small and pinkish, and her cheeks illuminated by soft shading. Her gaze is directed towards the viewer rather than towards the infant, thereby creating a direct visual connection between the figure and the observer. Her expression conveys calmness, confidence and restraint, and she is depicted as a woman of dignified and refined appearance. Her hair is dark brown, arranged in a rich and voluminous hairstyle characteristic of European women's fashion in the second half of the eighteenth century. At the top of the head, the hair is gathered into a relatively high hairstyle, while rounded groups of hair are visible at the sides of the face. Long curls fall from the hairstyle towards the shoulders and breast, giving the figure a soft and natural appearance. The treatment of the hair is characterised by fine brushstrokes and graduated shading in dark brown, greyish-brown and muted black. The Infant – Description of the Figure and the Bond with the Mother The infant is depicted lying diagonally across the mother's lap, with its head turned towards her breast. Its face is round, its skin fair with pinkish tones, its hair short and light-coloured, and its eyes looking upwards. Its mouth is close to the mother's breast, and it is depicted in a position associated with breastfeeding. One of its hands is raised towards the mother's breast, while the other rests close to its body. Its legs are partly exposed and extend diagonally towards the right side of the composition. Its body is supported by the mother's arms and by the folds of white fabric covering her lap. The mother holds the infant in a gentle and protective manner, with one hand supporting its back and body, while the other helps to steady its legs. The relationship between the two figures creates an intimate composition, emphasising the physical and emotional closeness between the mother and her infant. **The choice to depict the infant in the act of breastfeeding, rather than as an independent portrait or as a figure held in a ceremonial manner, gives the painting a personal and unusual character compared with many formal portraits of the period.** The White Dress and Details of Clothing The mother wears a light-coloured dress in shades of white, cream and pearly grey. The dress has a wide neckline, allowing the infant to be breastfed. The upper part of the dress is designed with soft lines, with delicate folds of fabric around the breast and shoulders. The sleeves are relatively long, and light-coloured folds and fabric decorations are visible around the wrists. A broad ribbon in a deep blue shade is incorporated around her waist, creating a colour contrast with the white fabric. In the lower part of the composition, broad folds of fabric fall across the mother's lap and also serve as a background for the infant's body. The treatment of the fabrics is characterised by thin layers of colour and soft shading, creating a sense of volume and movement. The combination of the white dress and blue ribbon reflects European women's fashion in the late eighteenth century, when light-coloured fabrics, soft folds and restrained coloured decorations were customary. The Architectural Background and Landscape The background presents a magnificent architectural setting, combining elements of interior and exterior space. Behind the mother is a broad architectural column in shades of stone grey and light brown. Beside it falls a heavy curtain, depicted in deep folds and shades of bluish-grey, greyish-brown and muted green. The curtain creates a pictorial frame around the figure and gives the composition a sense of depth. On the left side of the painting is a stone balustrade or low architectural structure, beyond which a natural landscape opens up. The landscape includes tall trees, vegetation and bright skies in shades of blue and light blue. The combination of the column, curtain and landscape reflects the tradition of European aristocratic portraiture, in which architectural elements and landscapes served as a background lending status and presence to the figure. However, unlike an ordinary formal portrait, the central subject here is an intimate moment of motherhood and breastfeeding. The Artistic Composition The composition is based on a visual relationship between three principal focal points: the mother's face, the infant's face and the hands supporting its body. The mother is depicted in a relatively stable position, while the infant lies diagonally across her lap. The contrast between the mother's vertical structure and the infant's diagonal movement creates compositional balance. The column and curtain in the background emphasise the vertical structure of the painting, while the folds of fabric and the infant create soft movement in its lower section. The restrained colouring, combining white, blue, grey, brown and green, gives the work a quiet and intimate atmosphere. The delicate treatment of the skin tones and colour transitions emphasises the physical closeness between the mother and infant. The Circular Tortoiseshell and Gold Box The miniature is set into the lid of a circular box made of tortoiseshell. The body of the box has a very dark brown colour, with areas in shades of reddish-brown and black. The surfaces are relatively glossy, and some display natural colour variations creating a decorative texture. The painting is surrounded by a circular inner gold mount of warm tone, separating the miniature from the dark body of the box. The mount has relatively smooth and polished edges, emphasising the circular shape of the painting. The box opens by means of a circular lid into which the miniature is set. Inside the box, dark and glossy surfaces are visible, corresponding to the material of the exterior body. The combination of tortoiseshell and gold gives the box a luxurious character, in keeping with the tradition of European luxury objects of the eighteenth century. Boxes of this kind were sometimes used to hold small personal objects, snuff or keepsakes, and portrait miniatures were sometimes incorporated into their lids. Historical Background – Europe in the Eighteenth Century During the eighteenth century, a rich culture of personal portraits, luxury objects and sentimental jewellery developed in Europe. Among the aristocracy and affluent classes, portraits depicting family members in domestic or magnificent architectural settings were customary. At the same time, new ideas concerning children's education, motherhood and family life developed. These ideas were connected with the Enlightenment and with philosophical and social discussions about human nature, education and the status of the family. One of the prominent thinkers who addressed these subjects was Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), who wrote about natural education and the importance of the direct relationship between parents and their children. His ideas influenced social and cultural discourse in Europe during the second half of the eighteenth century. Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the Changing Perception of Motherhood **Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Geneva-born philosopher, writer and thinker who was active in the eighteenth century and influenced the development of ideas concerning education and society in Europe.** **In his book Émile, ou De l'éducation, published in 1762, Rousseau discussed children's education and the importance of natural development.** **He emphasised the importance of the direct relationship between mother and child and the role of breastfeeding in caring for an infant.** **At that time, it was customary among some affluent European families to employ wet nurses who were responsible for feeding infants.** **Rousseau's ideas contributed to a change in social discourse concerning the mother's role and the importance of personal breastfeeding.** **The present portrait fits into this intellectual context through its depiction of a young mother of noble status breastfeeding her infant herself.** Marie Antoinette and the New Ideal of Motherhood Marie Antoinette (1755–1793), Queen of France and wife of Louis XVI, was one of the figures associated with the aristocratic culture of the late eighteenth century. During her time, a growing interest in images of family life, naturalness and motherhood developed in aristocratic circles. Portraits of noblewomen with their children became part of the visual culture of the period. One of the well-known examples is the portrait of Marie Antoinette with her children, painted by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun in 1787. The work presented the queen as a mother and emphasised her maternal role alongside her royal status. **The present miniature belongs to the same intellectual world of emphasising motherhood and the bond between mother and child, but depicts a more intimate and direct moment of breastfeeding.** Breastfeeding as an Artistic and Social Subject Depictions of breastfeeding appeared in European art for centuries, particularly in religious art. One of the well-known motifs was Madonna Lactans, depicting the Virgin Mary breastfeeding the infant Jesus. This motif emphasised humanity, motherhood and the physical bond between mother and child. During the eighteenth century, secular depictions of motherhood and breastfeeding also began to appear in family portraits and domestic scenes. The depiction of a woman from the affluent classes breastfeeding her infant may reflect new ideals of naturalness, emotion and active motherhood. The present miniature is particularly interesting because it combines the motif of breastfeeding with a magnificent architectural setting associated with formal portraits of the upper classes. Artistic Background – Portraits of Mother and Child in the Eighteenth Century During the second half of the eighteenth century, portraits emphasising family life and the emotional bond between parents and their children developed in Europe. Artists such as Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755–1842), Angelica Kauffman (1741–1807) and George Romney (1734–1802) addressed female figures, motherhood and family relationships in their works. These portraits sometimes incorporated architectural backgrounds, heavy curtains and natural landscapes, alongside intimate depictions of the figures. The present miniature displays characteristics reminiscent of this tradition, particularly in the combination of a magnificent architectural background with a personal depiction of a mother and infant. Portrait Miniatures in Luxury Boxes During the eighteenth century, portrait miniatures were sometimes incorporated into the lids of luxury boxes. These boxes were made from precious materials, including gold, silver, tortoiseshell, organic material, enamel and other decorative materials. The miniature served as a central element in the design of the lid and gave the object a personal character. Boxes of this kind formed part of the culture of luxury objects among the aristocracy and affluent classes. They sometimes served as personal gifts, family keepsakes or objects preserved in private collections. The combination of miniature painting with a magnificent box reflects the close relationship between portrait art and decorative art in the eighteenth century. Artistic, Historical and Collectible Significance The miniature combines a high-quality portrait of a young mother breastfeeding her infant, a magnificent architectural and landscape background, and a circular tortoiseshell box with a gold mount. The delicate treatment of the facial features, the infant's body, the hands and the folds of fabric gives the work pictorial quality and a personal presence. The intimate subject of breastfeeding gives the miniature particular historical and social interest in the context of changing perceptions of motherhood and education in Europe in the late eighteenth century. The combination of a personal portrait with a magnificent architectural background creates an interesting contrast between the private and familial aspect and the tradition of formal portraiture. The box itself constitutes an object of decorative art of independent interest, owing to its materials, circular construction and the gilt mount surrounding the painting. **The combination of high-quality miniature painting, an unusual maternal subject and a historic luxury box makes the piece an interesting example of European portrait art and luxury objects from the eighteenth century.** --- **Artist:** Unidentified European artist. **Figures Depicted:** A young mother breastfeeding her infant. **Date:** Eighteenth century; stylistically, most probably the second half of the century. **Period:** Late eighteenth century. **Country of Origin:** Europe; France. **Genre:** Portrait miniature of a mother and child, with a maternal and sentimental subject. **Technique:** Watercolours on natural substrate. **Painting Diameter:** Approximately 7.9 cm. **Box:** Circular box made of tortoiseshell, with an inner gold mount. **Box Dimensions:** Diameter approximately 9.4 cm; height approximately 3.0 cm. **Front:** Circular miniature set into the lid and protected by a transparent cover. **Inner Mount:** Circular gold metal mount surrounding the painting. **Provenance:** Private Collection.
Auction 02: Rare 18th–19th Century Portrait Miniatures & Mourning Jewellery — Melis Antiques & Art