The Limner Company

The Limner Company Est. 2023 by leading portrait miniatures consultant Emma Rutherford. We sell miniatures and offer a range of consultant services. By appointment in London, UK.

Clients include the National Portrait Gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum and National Trust. The only independent, freelance consultant for portrait miniatures, Emma divides her time between a consultancy at Philip Mould in Dover Street, London (www.philipmould.com), curating private collections and writing.

22/05/2026

Could there be a more perfect pair of earrings for my special evening in Venice? Made by the Italian designer Faraone, the curved jewels are mounted with parallel lines of square cut emeralds, diamonds and rubies, echoing the Italian flag. Loaned by (can you hear the bells of Venice in the background?).

22/05/2026

24 hours in Venice with culminated in the opening last night of the sumptuous . Mixing the antique with contemporary has been tried and tested – but mix in scale and scent and you have a wholly unique experience. As a seasoned collector of portrait miniatures and sentimental jewellery , founder of this new Fondazione, brings something new (but old) to the art that is on view during the . She focuses on memory and synaesthesia, using scent to enhance encounters with the artworks. Throughout the exhibition, miniatures are scattered in unexpected places – including within a sedan chair – and meaningfully juxtaposed with interpretations of the theme by contemporary artists, many of whom may never have encountered a portrait miniature before. The evening was enriched with musical performances, cocktails and meeting friends old and new (hello .real and Lara Fenyar). If you are in Venice, it is absolutely a must see among the many wonders…

The Irish beauty Anne, 1st Marchioness Townshend (née Montgomery; b.c.1752-1819) was a senior courtier and held the posi...
22/05/2026

The Irish beauty Anne, 1st Marchioness Townshend (née Montgomery; b.c.1752-1819) was a senior courtier and held the position of Mistress of the Robes to the Princess of Wales. This week’s looks at the history of this role in the royal household, and what it entailed.

JOHN SMART (1741-1811) Portrait miniature traditionally identified as Anne, Viscountess Townshend, 1777, 45mm (1 ¾ in) high. For sale with The Limner Company - £10,500.

From 1553 to 2021, the Mistress of the Robes was the senior lady of the royal household of the United Kingdom. The lady was an attendant of the queen (whether queen regnant or queen consort) and, until more recent years, responsible for her wardrobe and jewellery. In later years, the role also entailed arranging the rota for the ladies-in-waiting, hence the position sometimes overlapped with or was replaced by another senior position of the First Last of the Bedchamber. A Mistress of the Robes would often have a role to place in State ceremonies too.

The first Mistress of the Robes was an appointment given by Queen Mary I to her favourite lady-in-waiting and closest friend, Susan Clarenieux. Often, however, the appointment was a political one, especially for a queen regnant.

Marchionness Townshend was Mistress of the Robes to Caroline of Brunswick, Princess of Wales between 1795 (the year of Caroline’s ill-fated marriage to George, Prince of Wales, late George IV) and 1808.

Anne was raised in Dublin where she and her two sisters were famed for their beauty and dubbed the “Irish Graces.” The sisters were immortalised in Sir Joshua Reynolds’s masterpiece, ‘Three Ladies Adorning a Term of Hymen’ (1773) [ images 2-3, Tate Britain], exhibited by the artist in 1774.

In 1801 she commissioned the dual Caroline and her daughter Princess Charlotte from the Sir Thomas Lawrence, who was later suspected of being the Caroline’s lover.

Anne herself sat to Reynolds again in 1780 [image 5, Fine Arts Museum San Francisco], as well as to Angelica Kauffman [image 4, Burghley House] and George Romney [Sotheby’s New York, 2020].

Happy (belated) birthday to a queen of wearing miniatures… Queen Charlotte!Queen Charlotte (1744-1818), the wife of King...
20/05/2026

Happy (belated) birthday to a queen of wearing miniatures… Queen Charlotte!

Queen Charlotte (1744-1818), the wife of King George III, was born on the 19th of May 1744, and we’re celebrating with a look into her love of miniatures, especially of her husband, this .

Many portraits of Charlotte show her wearing miniatures as bracelets, attached to strings of pearls which were fastened to bracelet slides. This styling can be seen in portraits by Johann Zoffany (1733-1810)(image 1), Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) (image 2), and George David Matthieu (1737-1778)(image 2). We often come across miniatures framed in these slides, such as the portrait of Johnson Wilkinson, by Richard Cosway, currently for sale with a portrait of his wife, Mary Anne (image 3, visit our website for more information!).

Charlotte wears a larger miniature of her husband on a chain around her neck in a portrait after Thomas Gainsborough at the Abingdon Guildhall (image 4). It is possible that the miniature in this portrait is that painted by Richard Collins (1755-1831), in the Royal Collection (image 4).

As a side note, this expression of Charlotte’s love for her husband has got us thinking about the portrait of Frederick William Blomberg sold by The Limner Company in 2023. The portrait, by Hugh Douglas Hamilton (1739-1808) is now in the Royal Collection (RCIN 935356) (image 5), and depicts the illegitimate son of George III, who was brought up in the nursery alongside his legitimate children with Charlotte. To find out more about him, visit our website to read the blog ‘A Cuckoo in the Royal Nest’ by Emma Rutherford.

Coming to the website tomorrow a mid-17th century portrait of Jan III Sobieski (1624-1696), aka the Lion of Lechistan, w...
19/05/2026

Coming to the website tomorrow a mid-17th century portrait of Jan III Sobieski (1624-1696), aka the Lion of Lechistan, who became King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania on this day in 1674.

POLISH SCHOOL (17th century) Portrait of Jan III Sobieski wearing ‘Ottoman’ dress, c.1650s/60s, oil on copper. For sale with The Limner Company - £4,500.

Sobieski was born into Polish nobility and began his career as a diplomat in the Ottoman Empire, where he learned both Turkish and Tatar. He later became a soldier and gained renown for his success in the army, and throughout the 1650s and 1660s he fought alongside his allied Ottoman soldiers against Russian troops. It is for this reason that he is depicted in Ottoman dress here.

By the time he was elected King however, Sobieski was not in favour with the Ottomans. In 1673, he had defeated them at the Battle of Khotyn and his military prowess was such that the Ottomans dubbed him the “Lion of Lechistan”. This defeat also leads to the suggestion that this miniature was painted before the 1670s, and hence before he became king, as it is unlikely that he would have wanted to be painted in this manner when the Ottomans had become his enemy.

Sobieski was a popular leading during his lifetime, providing much needed stability for the region, and he is fondly remembered today. His iconography is one of magnificent martial portaits.

An exciting announcement for this !This summer, as a part of Classic Art London, we will be hosting a talk by art histo...
15/05/2026

An exciting announcement for this !

This summer, as a part of Classic Art London, we will be hosting a talk by art historian Jacqui Ansell titled: “The Real Ton: Bridgerton vs. Reality”

Interested in fabulous costumes like the ones worn by Mr. and Mrs. William Irby in these portrait miniatures? Join us on 25 June at 4:30pm, to learn about Georgian fashions like these and to see how Bridgerton stays true to or strays from historical accuracy. Space is limited, so visit our website to learn how to secure your seat.

***JOHN SMART (1741-1811), Portrait Miniatures of The Hon Mrs William Irby née Mary Blackman (c.1744-1792) and The Hon William Irby (1750-1830), 1781, watercolour on ivory. For Sale with The Limner Company, £35,000 for the pair.***

Just look at the fabulous outfits donned by these Georgian newlyweds… Their lilac and pink powdered hair steal the scene, with Mrs. Irby’s veil held in place in her updo with strands of glowing pearls. She wears a luminous turquoise pelisse with a warm brown fur trim over a white gown with lace edges. He sports an olive green coat, a lilac waistcoat, and a knotted white stock with a finely rendered lace cravat. Read more about their fashion choices and their story on our website.

With the Met Gala earlier this week, we’ve been thinking about fashion as art and fashion and art… In January, Dior’s Ha...
08/05/2026

With the Met Gala earlier this week, we’ve been thinking about fashion as art and fashion and art…

In January, Dior’s Haute Couture Show in Paris showcased some of the designs included on Monday’s stone path carpet. Karlie Kloss wore a white dress styled with the iconic floral hair accessories created for the runway look.

Not only did the looks in Dior’s January show display fashion as art, but they also exemplified how fashion and art can complement each other as art forms. Four portrait miniatures featured in four of Anderson’s looks, which were sourced and sold by The Limner Company. Two of these were painted by Rosalba Carriera (1673-1757) (see image 3), and two were drawn by John Smart (1741-1811)(see image 4).

Naomi Watts also wore a beautiful look designed by Dior which had been inspired by the Floral Still Lives of Jan Davidz. de Heem (1606-1684) (image 2). All the florals reminded us of a portrait by PIERRE PAUL EMMANUEL DE POMMAYRAC (1807-1880) (image 1) recently sold by The Limner Company. She’s wearing flowers in her hair, just like Naomi, this time paired with a lavish green silk dress.

**PIERRE PAUL EMMANUEL DE POMMAYRAC, portrait miniature of a Lady, called J. Berville Fremer, circa 1835, Watercolour on ivory, oval, 108 mm (4 ¹/₄ in) high, SOLD***

For more information on this miniature, visit our website. And if you want to see more wearable miniatures, watch out for our posts…

Happy !

Image credits:
Images 2, 3, and 4:

Some of Gainsborough’s fashionable sitters were sporting portrait miniatures at The Frick On a recent trip to New York,...
06/05/2026

Some of Gainsborough’s fashionable sitters were sporting portrait miniatures at The Frick

On a recent trip to New York, Meredith Jordan (Researcher and Digital Manager) spotted some miniatures in full-scale portraits at The Frick Collection’s ‘Gainsborough: The Fashion of Portraiture’ (images 1-3).

Mrs. Maria Anne Fitzherbert (image 1) wears a locket known to have contained a portrait of the Prince of Wales whom she secretly married, and with whom another of Gainsborough’s sitters – Mrs. Grace Dalrymple Elliott – also had scandalous involvement. In one portrait (image 2), Elliott clutches her dress to her chest, covering the end of a black ribbon tied around her neck – a popular method of wearing miniatures in the period (see image 4). Given her entanglement in several affairs with distinguished men, she may have been concealing a portrait of one of her lovers. In the later portrait (image 3), Elliott wears a similar necklace, though this time a blue case is visible. Does it contain a portrait of Lord Valentia – her relationship with whom ended her marriage? How about the Earl of Cholmondeley, or perhaps the Prince of Wales? Both of whom she allegedly had affairs with.

Meredith also visited the miniatures section in the American Wing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art where she spotted another miniature in a full-scale portrait as well as a miniaturist’s painting box (images 4-6).

1. Thomas Gainsborough, Portrait of Mrs. Maria Anne Fitzherbert, 1784, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
2. Thomas Gainsborough, Portrait of Mrs. Grace Dalrymple Elliott, 1778, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
3. Thomas Gainsborough, Portrait of Grace Dalrymple Elliott, 1782, The Frick Collection.
4. Reuben Moulthrop, Portrait of Sally Sanford Perit, 1790, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
5-6. Miniature portrait painter’s box, ca. 1790s, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Is this Gentleman wearing the original fisherman’s beanie?Happy ! ***SAMUEL COOPER (1607/8-1672), Portrait of a Gentle...
01/05/2026

Is this Gentleman wearing the original fisherman’s beanie?

Happy !

***SAMUEL COOPER (1607/8-1672), Portrait of a Gentleman wearing a black cap, circa 1655, watercolour on vellum, oval, 28 mm (1 ⅛ in) high. FOR SALE with The Limner Company, £6,000.***

Just as beanies are worn to fit in with the 'hipster' look today, hats were worn by gentlemen in the past to indicate their intellectual status and interests. The black skullcap worn by this unknown gentleman, painted by Samuel Cooper, is a perfect example of this. These hats were popular throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and possibly emerged from the zucchetti worn in the Catholic church.

The majority of portraits featuring caps like this depict men with careers as scholars, lawyers, mathematicians, theologians, and politicians, to name a few. For example, Inigo Jones, Architect, was painted in a similar, but slightly taller, hat by Anthony Van Dyck (see image 3, a print after this portrait). Cooper's sitter may well have been a gentleman with a similar profession. He certainly looks proud to be wearing his choice of headwear!

For more information on this miniature, visit our website.

Image credits:
Image 3- DETAIL Robert van Voerst, after Anthony van Dyck, Inigo Jones, 1630-1636, British Museum, R, 1a.146.




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