Stephen Duffy

The 4th Marquess of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace were both passionate collectors of miniatures, exquisite small paintings in watercolor or enamel, generally made for private contemplation and one of the most popular mediums of portraiture in an age before the advent of photography. This book presents one of the major British collections of miniatures, a group of over 330 works which formed part of the generous bequest to the British nation made by Lady Wallace in 1897.

Paul Delaroche (1797-1856) was a significant figure in French 19th-century art. Reproductive engravings after his pictures helped make them familiar throughout the western world and his work was the first to be extensively photographed. Shortly after his death, however, he was largely forgotten, and it is only recently that his pictures have again attracted popular and academic interest. This publication marks the bicentenary of Delaroche's death. It represents an in-depth study of many of his most famous paintings, which form part of the Wallace Collection. These include the historical scenes "The Princes in the Tower" and the "Execution of Lady Jane Grey".