Spanish or Mexican school; c. 1830.

Spanish or Mexican school; c. 1830.
"Portrait of a lady".
Oil on tinplate.
Measurements: 11 x 6 cm.
This miniature, painted on tinplate with precise and careful brushstrokes, is stylistically situated in full romanticism, as can be seen through the type of hairstyle and the clothes she wears, where the wide boat neck of the dress stands out. Despite being a miniature, the artist manages to recreate and immortalize the personality of the young woman who is shown in profile to the viewer, but with her face turned towards him, while she brings one of her hands to her chin in a gesture of gallant coquetry.
Miniature portraits developed in Europe from the 16th century onwards. They consisted of small paintings encased in objects such as medallions, table clocks or small boxes. The frame of these portraits was usually oval or circular. They were made in a great variety of techniques, such as oil on copper, tin or ivory, gouaches on parchment or cardboard and, since the 18th century, watercolor on ivory. This delicate art will be lost since the second half of the 19th century, in parallel to the development of photography.