The Birmingham Museum of Art debuts The Look of Love: Eye Miniatures from the Skier Collection, the first major exhibition of lover's eye jewelry, on display to June 10, 2012.

Exquisite in craftsmanship, unique in detail, and few in number,  lover's eye miniatures are small-scale portraits of individual eyes set into various forms of jewelry from late 18th- and early 19th century England. Featuring an impressive 98 pieces, the collection is considered to be the largest of its kind, with only 1,000 lover's eye miniatures thought to be in existence worldwide. Part of a trend that began with Britain's Prince of Wales (later George IV), clandestine lovers exchanged these customized tokens depicting one another's eyes, as such a feature might only be recognized by persons of the most intimate familiarity. Thus, behind the skilled artistry with which each of these tiny portraits was painted, lie the enchanting stories of secret romance and love lost, which inspired the creation of this popular, albeit short-lived fashion.

Graham C. Boettcher, The William C. Hulsey Curator of American Art at the Museum, organized The Look of Love with the participation of collectors, Dr. David and Mrs. Nan Skier of Birmingham. “We are delighted to present the largest ever exhibition of these intriguing and enigmatic objects, which are sure to delight the viewer with their beauty, intricacy, and mystery,” says Boettcher.

A Secret Affair

The genesis of lover’s eyes is a story of forbidden love. In 1784, the 21-year-old Prince of Wales became smitten with Mrs. Maria Fitzherbert, a Catholic widow. Under the Royal Marriage Act, the Prince could not marry without his father’s consent until the age of 25, and it was highly unlikely that King George III would agree to the heir to the throne marrying a Catholic widow. Mrs. Fitzherbert initially rebuffed the Prince’s advances, but after he staged a suicide attempt to demonstrate his despair, she gave in and accepted his proposal.

The following day, she came to her senses and fled to the Continent, remaining there for more than a year. She hoped that her absence would quell the Prince’s feelings, but true to the old adage, it only made his heart grow fonder. On November 3, 1785, the Prince wrote to Mrs. Fitzherbert with a second proposal of marriage. Instead of sending an engagement ring, he sent her a picture of his own eye, painted by the miniaturist Richard Cosway, writing, “P.S. I send you a Parcel … and I send you at the same time an Eye, if you have not totally forgotten the whole countenance. I think the likeness will strike you.”

Shortly thereafter, Mrs. Fitzherbert returned to England and married the Prince in a secret ceremony on December 15, 1785. Not long after their clandestine nuptials, Mrs. Fitzherbert (as she preferred to remain) commissioned Cosway to paint a miniature of her own eye for the Prince. The Prince of Wales’ token of affection inspired an aristocratic trend for exchanging eye portraits mounted in a wide variety of settings lasting the next few decades.

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