The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri, holds an extensive collection of portrait miniatures spanning the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. The collection grew primarily through the generosity of one family. Starting in 1958 and continuing for several decades, John W. and Martha Jane Starr established the museum as a leader in portrait miniatures by giving hundreds of these diminutive paintings. Their gifts, and the gifts of their descendants, increased the museum’s collection of portrait miniatures from a small handful to nearly three hundred objects.
The entire collection is presented here in a free and accessible digital collection catalogue. Each miniature receives a full scholarly analysis, with provenance (history of ownership), lists of exhibitions and publications, and, with few exceptions, a short entry. Zoom into the high-resolution photography of each palm-sized portrait to examine the casework and delicate brush strokes down to even a fleck of paint highlighting an eye.
The Starr Collection of Portrait Miniatures, 1500–1850 is divided by culture and era into four volumes combined into one website for easy reference, plus a supplement, Starr Miniatures in Other Collections.
For a full list of the contents of each volume, see the contents page. The catalogue will be published every six months beginning in early 2024, with object entries, introductory essays, and biographies added in their associated volume.
doi: 10.37764/8322