English Artist: Michael Bartlett

Late Twentieth Century British Army Officer
in Desert Gear and Wearing a Shemagh*

English
dated 1987
by Michael Bartlett (1922-2008)

2 1/16 x 2 12/16 inches (sight)

watercolor on ivorine, housed in a gilt metal pendant frame

*A Shemagh, also known as a keffiyeh, ghutrah or Arab scarf, is a scarf-type wrap commonly used in arid or desert-like regions of the Middle East to provide protection from sun exposure and to protect the wearer's mouth, nose and eyes from wind-blown dust and sand.

A view of the portrait outside its case, allowing its colors and
brush strokes to be seen more clearly without the distortion or
reflection that is often caused by the glass lens of a miniature's case
(Click + symbol above for an enlarged view)

About the Artist: A highly respected miniaturist of the late twentieth century, Michael Bartlett's method of depicting modern subjects is said to have inspired renewed interest in miniature portraiture. He is particularly known for the large number of miniatures he painted that feature uniforms of British military officers of the 18th-20th centuries. His depictions of such uniforms are considered quite historically accurate; but what makes his portraits unique is that he had friends and acquaintances model for them, inserting their modern faces and poses into historical settings. He served terms as Vice President of both the Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers (a/k/a Royal Miniature Society) and the Society of Limners, Miniaturists and Calligraphers.