When the Prince of Wales, later King George IV, gave the recently widowed Maria Fitzherbert a portrait of his eye in 1785, it catapulted a trend of eye miniatures that spread throughout Europe and then disappeared within half a century. These so-called lover’s eyes were mounted in rings, brooches, pins, and bracelet clasps, creating a tactile and intimate connection between the wearer and subject. Although many of Britain’s leading portrait miniaturists also painted lover’s eyes, the examples in the Starr Collection are all by unknown hands.
Queen Victoria briefly revived eye miniatures with the help of artist William Charles Ross (1794–1860), but the biggest resurgence came in the beginning of the twentieth century. This new wave of interest in eye miniatures created a market for decorative pieces, some of which found their way into the Nelson-Atkins collection. Even today, lover’s eyes remain in fashion, with contemporary artists and designers sustaining the trend.
doi: 10.37764/8322.8.4100