Coming from illuminated manuscripts, miniature paintings are true "monuments of lost art", to quote famous art historian and collector William Young Ottley (1771-1836).
What exactly are Medieval and Renaissance miniature paintings? This exhibition is designed as an introduction to the fascinating world of these precious objects. Originating from illuminated manuscripts, the ancestor of the book as we know it today, miniature paintings are the pages from these manuscripts that contained a painting (a miniature). True “monuments of lost art”, they are collected by art lovers and established collectors, both for their historical and artistic values.
ONLINE EXHIBITION, EXCLUSIVELY ON ARTSY | FROM JULY 22, 2025 TO AUGUST 31, 2025
Today, miniature paintings from illuminated manuscripts are the last surviving fragments of their origine. Their attractiveness is also related to the timeless taste for fragments: mysterious objects coming from an unknown past and witnesses to the passing of time, these exquisite miniature paintings have now become an open door to the Medieval and Renaissance times. Illuminated miniature paintings from manuscripts are collected by art lovers and enthusiasts, as well as by established collectors, both for their historical and artistic values. Some collections of miniature paintings are amongst the most impressive and are worth being on permanent display in museums, such as the Wildenstein collection of hundreds of miniatures, permanently exhibited in the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris.