Wednesday, 7 October 2026

Children as small adults in European portraits before the rise of Romanticism

A children's portrait with a goat in a gilded frame on a turquoise wall under a chandelier, with a chest of drawers, vases and statuettes below.

Until the flowering of Romanticism, Europe had no tradition of portraying children in characteristically childlike guise. Children were regarded as grown-ups of small stature. Here is a fine example of a little auntie and a little uncle

Report a translation error