Art Institute of Chicago

Portrait of a Nobleman

William Gibson (English, 1644–1703)

Date

1675/1700

Medium

Watercolor heightened with gum arabic on paper

Culture

England

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Portrait miniatures like this one were popular as gifts and keepsakes in 17th-century England. They were mounted under glass in fine metal frames or lockets to be worn close to the body or held in the hand as visual vessels of memory. The dress and hairstyle of this subject were fashionable over 30 to 40 years before the work was painted, indicating that it may be a posthumous copy of an earlier portrait of a beloved family member or an admired person.

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