Project

ID/entity: Digital Limnings

In the Renaissance, kings rarely traveled to find a bride: instead, an artist was sent to paint her likeness. These artisans were often not the official court painter but lesser-known painters who also illuminated manuscripts as their highly refined trade. One particular Netherlandish family established a workshop serving British monarch Henry VIII, producing miniature portraits called "Limnings" and setting a trend that would continue in England and on the Continent for centuries. For today's celebrated personages, "Digital Limnings" are also miniature memories wherein the past is stored in the present.