French miniature from the second half of the 19th century.

French miniature from the second half of the 19th century.
"Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI".
Gouache on vellum.
Bronze frame.
Measurements: 11 x 14 cm (with frame).

Since the Renaissance, miniature portraits were pieces for private contemplation. Considered as jewels, in the XVII century they became pieces of personal adornment or objects of gift, when they were mounted as jewels. 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. During the 19th century, the most common in this type of pieces were historicist representations, often set in the previous century.