Miniature Portrait as an Element of Cultural Heritage in Museum Collections

The purpose of the article is to review portrait miniatures in museum collections as a refined art of the 16th – 19th centuries, which is closely related to the history of monarchs and aristocracy. It also reflects the aesthetic preferences of customers of portrait miniatures, artistic trends in the outlined period and scientific and technological possibilities of miniatures production. The research methodology consists in applying a number of approaches. The method of source analysis was used to analyze the literature on the topic of the article. An interdisciplinary analysis, in particular biographical and cultural research methods, came in handy when studying actual material. The historical approach and theoretical generalization made it possible to formulate conclusions and highlight the prospects for further development of the topic. The scientific novelty consists in the examination of portrait miniatures of museum collections as a component of cultural heritage and an important pictorial document of the cultural history of Europe in the 16th-19th centuries. Conclusions. As a separate form of art, portrait miniature in European countries, primarily in England, began to take shape in the 16th century, reaching its apogee in the 18th century. and, unable to withstand competition with photography, became part of the historical and cultural heritage. At the beginning of the 19th century, we observe the popularity of portrait miniatures in America, where this form of art has become quite a profitable business. The article focuses on the fact that initially portrait miniatures became parts of the collections of the customers themselves. Subsequent generations of collectors formed more extensive collections of works of art, among which portrait miniatures served as part of a large artistic complex. Such collections include the collection of Rosalind and Arthur Gilbert the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the collection of portrait miniatures of the Vinnytsia Regional Art Museum. It is also important from the point of view of the connections between the cultural history of Ukraine and the European context.