Artwork
Portrait Miniature of Mrs Jane Small, formerly Mrs Pemberton
Portrait Miniature of Mrs Jane Small, formerly Mrs Pemberton is a watercolor painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Hans Holbein the Younger. It dates from 1536 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Created in 1536, this miniature portrait presents Jane Small, who was known earlier as Jane Pemberton.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1536, this miniature portrait presents Jane Small, who was known earlier as Jane Pemberton. Executed on a round piece of vellum, the work measures only a few centimeters across and now belongs to the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection. The sitter is shown at the age of twenty‑three, as indicated by the inscription surrounding the image.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait captures a young woman of pale complexion, her light brown hair tucked beneath a white cap. She wears a black dress with a white collar, accented by a gold brooch, and holds a red flower in one hand and a green stem in the other. Her calm expression, with particular attention to the eyes and lips, conveys a poised, genteel presence typical of Tudor-era portraiture.
Technique & Style
Holbein employed the delicate medium of vellum, traditionally reserved for manuscript illumination, applying soft, layered pigments to achieve a lifelike flesh tone. The brushwork is smooth and precise, allowing subtle modeling of facial features and the sheen of fabrics. A dark blue background provides contrast, enhancing the luminous quality of the sitter’s skin and the vivid red of the flower.
History & Provenance
The miniature was painted by Hans Holbein the Younger, a leading Northern Renaissance portraitist active in England during the 1530s. After remaining in private hands for centuries, the piece entered the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it is displayed as part of the museum’s holdings of Renaissance portrait miniatures.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Hans Holbein the Younger (UK: HOL-byne, US: HOHL-byne, HAWL-; German: Hans Holbein der Jüngere; c.
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