PORTRAIT MINIATURES: IN THE SPOTLIGHT, GUIDED TOUR WITH EMMA RUTHERFORD
PORTRAIT MINIATURES: IN THE SPOTLIGHT
With Emma Rutherford
Portrait Miniatures Specialist and Founder, The Limner Company
Scandal, intrigue, love and loss: looking closely at portrait miniatures, their materials, histories and intimate lives.
Fondazione Maddalena Di Giacomo welcomes portrait miniatures specialist Emma Rutherford for a guided tour of the Fondazione’s miniature collection (approximately one hour), accompanied by Portrait Miniatures: In the Spotlight, a special display of antique portrait miniatures presented by The Limner Company, a London-based gallery that sells antique portrait miniatures.
About the event
Small enough to be held in the hand, carried or worn close to the body, portrait miniatures occupy a distinctive territory between painting, personal object and material memory. They were also sources of scandal and intrigue, carrying the most intimate secrets as exchanged love tokens.
Led by portrait miniatures specialist Emma Rutherford, this guided tour offers a close encounter with works from Fondazione Maddalena Di Giacomo’s collection, considering individual miniatures through their sitters, artists, materials, histories and original functions.
As Director of The Limner Company, a London-based gallery that sells antique portrait miniatures, Emma will also offer a small selection of her stock for sale in the shop. The selection will consist of non-ivory works and may include portrait miniatures on paper, enamel, vellum and other supports.
The tour also explores the intimate social life of these objects. Portrait miniatures were created to preserve a likeness, but also to circulate between people: exchanged as tokens of affection, carried on the body, kept in private spaces, collected and preserved as records of identity, attachment and remembrance.
Through specialist looking and direct engagement with the collection, Portrait Miniatures: In the Spotlight reveals how much artistic, material and emotional history can be contained within the smallest of formats. A selection of non-ivory antique portrait miniatures from The Limner Company will be available to purchase in the Fondazione’s shop.
The guided tour will be followed by reception drinks at Palazzo Valier, offering an opportunity for further conversation with Emma Rutherford.
The programme forms part of Fondazione Maddalena Di Giacomo’s ongoing research into portrait miniatures, material culture, memory and the intimate life of objects.
About Emma Rutherford
Emma Rutherford is a portrait miniatures specialist and founder of The Limner Company, a London-based gallery that sells antique portrait miniatures. Her work encompasses research, curating, lecturing and consultancy for private and institutional collections. Through The Limner Company, Rutherford brings together specialist expertise in the study, conservation and presentation of portrait miniatures, contributing to a renewed understanding and appreciation of this intimate art form.
Event Information
Date & Time: 25 October 2026, 11:00 - 13:00
Location: Fondazione Maddalena Di Giacomo, Palazzo Valier, San Polo 1022, Venice
Admission: € 70
Admission includes: Entry to the Fondazione, approximately one-hour guided collection tour with Emma Rutherford, viewing of the selection of non-ivory works from The Limner Company, refreshments and reception drinks
Shop: Non-ivory antique portrait miniatures from The Limner Company available to purchase
Capacity: Limited
Booking: Reservation required
Salon de la Memoire
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Applicants are selected from individuals for whom art is a central pillar of their lives, including collectors, curators, art professionals, and passionate advocates of artistic exploration.
By fostering a community of like-minded individuals, the Salon offers a unique opportunity to engage in profound cultural exchanges and build meaningful connections.
