If you look at miniature prices on specialized dealers websites or at the big London auction houses, you’ll likely find miniatures mostly in the $ (or Pound) 1000+ range, with the sky being the limit. These are the best sources if you can spend that sort of money and/or are not yet knowledgeable about the field. With that in mind, collectors who put some work into learning and are willing to hunt for good deals can often buy for much cheaper. I personally spend about $50-$200 per miniature on average. These miniatures are oftentimes in unrestored condition, badly framed, damaged, of lesser artistic merit (but still interesting), not in a sought-after style/period, or just not yet attributed. Sometimes, however, this price point can still offer miniatures as good as those found at specialist dealers!

Finding quality miniatures entails hunting for pieces at auctions, most of which being online, and antique stores. It is important to note that information provided by these sellers is oftentimes inaccurate or completely incorrect, so buyer beware. ‘Grand Tour’ miniatures and outright copies are (often unwittingly) offered as originals, despite being 80-90% of what is on the market. By building a personal understanding of miniatures, you can limit your chance of buying such an overpriced piece. I personally gained a lot of my knowledge twenty years ago through studying boxes of old Christie’s and Bonham’s miniature catalogues, but this learning can now be done much more efficiently online.

Through these studies one can learn to date miniatures through a variety of indicators, mainly through the miniatures’ format, shape, framing, paint style and the sitters’ hairstyle and clothing.

Even though nice quality miniatures can still be bought in the low $100 range, I’ve found that most collectors (myself included) can’t afford to build a sizable collection up-front. There is a way, albeit time consuming, for seasoned collectors to finance a collection by letting it pay off itself, using money from sales to fund new buys. Miniatures are often offered in lots, so collectors can select pieces which they wish to keep and sell the less desirable pieces of the lot and of one’s collection. These less desirable pieces are not necessarily of bad quality, but might be of a style which one has ‘too many’ of, or of an artist/sitter of which one already owns a better example.

As with all collecting fields, the best deals on miniatures can often be found by looking for those which aren’t in fashion at the moment. The whole field goes through cycles, with specific painters, sitters or even whole periods being in fashion and expensive, with these tastes changing over the years. At the time of writing twentieth century miniatures are especially cheap, and often can be picked up for less than $50 a piece.

The most expensive pieces are portraits of known and beautiful sitters by excellent painters in perfect condition and in a lovely period frame. Of course, if one is buying on a budget, one often must compromise at some (or many!) of these points. An existing miniature’s value and appeal can often be improved, be it tangibly by exchanging the frame or giving it to a restorer, or by simply attributing the piece.

When choosing a miniature for my collection I primarily look at the quality of the painting and the characterization of the sitter. I personally feel that, while a beautiful miniature/sitter is nice, the piece’s character is more important – I want to be able to imagine the life of the person who sat for this portrait. I don’t put too much value on the painter’s name (or signature), I’d rather have a good miniature by an unknown artist than one from a good artist who had a bad day. I also welcome miniatures with condition problems, even ones which can’t properly be fixed (like those with cracks). These paintings are pieces of history, not produced yesterday, and should be allowed to show their life.

The miniatures pictured with prices have been bought in 2018.

If you have any questions regarding portrait miniatures, or just want to chat about this tantalizing
field of collecting, feel free to contact me at sdeutsch@shaw.ca.

Happy hunting!