For over three hundred years, from the early fifteenth century until the mid-Victorian era, there was a continuously growing demand for portrait miniatures, and an ever expanding number of artists qualified to satisfy that demand. The collection of miniatures in the Fitzwilliam Museum gives a compact and comprehensive survey of the development of this national art. It illustrates the course of its progress through the work of almost every major master in the genre, with works of the highest excellence. This book provides an introduction to the history of portrait miniatures: ninety-six items from the collection are described, and each item is illustrated in full colour, to bring out the subtlety and intimacy of this delicate art form.