Virgin and Child

Larger in size than most portrait miniatures, the Madonna and Child by Anna Maria Carew is a cabinet miniature, or a small work on vellum, enamel, or ivory that copies a full-scale oil painting. In this case the original painting was by Flemish artist Anthony van Dyck, and engraved by Paulus Pontius around 1630 shortly after it was painted. As a cabinet miniature, this work is somewhat unusual because of its religious subject and its simplicity. Cabinet miniatures tended instead to reproduce paintings of dramatic subjects and climactic moments in myths or religious stories. They could be hung on the wall or stored in elaborate and specially designed furniture, and they were often displayed in the smaller, more private rooms of a house.