In Honour of Richard Cosway... Eye Miniatures

A fake lovers' eye created from a cracked miniature on ivory that has been rescued as 'an Eye' and painted with sky/clouds Cosway-style. (thanks to Lucy Inglis!)

Today marks the anniversary of the death of Richard Cosway, celebrated miniaturist. That set me thinking about Cosway's business and the tradition of eye miniatures, the romantic, hopefully anonymous, token of Georgian love.

We Georgians loved our eye miniatures (or lovers' eyes, as someone more recently termed them). A tiny painting depicting the eye of the gift-giver, these tokens were usually awarded to a lover or other object of affection when both parties wished to keep their liaison secret. More often than not the medium chosen was watercolour on ivory and they were given as rings, lockets (with a lock of hair, nice touch!) or whatever item of jewellery tickled your fancy. If you were willing to splash out, an artist of the calibre of Cosway could do you something particularly special and you would enjoy the added benefit of showing off the size of your purse into the bargain.

Intimate, romantic and expensive, an eye miniature was a declaration of adoration, as one of our Georgian monarchs surely understood.

An 18th century eye,  part of the V&A Collection

It might not surprise you to know that the tradition of the eye miniature is believed to have started with my old mucker, the Prince of Wales, long before he became King George IV. We Gilflurt women could tell many a tale of the Hanovers but it wasn't one of us who received the eye - that dubious honour went to Maria Fitzherbert. After a somewhat tumultuous courtship, George sent Maria a Cosway miniature of his eye and it certainly did the trick - they married in a clandestine ceremony on 15th December 1785.

Though George Engleheart was painting eye miniatures as early as 1775, it was George's gesture that made them fashionable (he never could keep a secret) and soon they were very much the done thing. You won't see them in portraits of the era though - they were far too scandalous for that!

Richard Cosway in a 1770 self portrait

Maria Fitzherbert by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1788

Life in the Georgian Court, true tales of 18th century royalty, is available at the links below.

Pen and Sword
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Book Depository (free worldwide shipping)

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