Self-Portrait 1770 - 1775

Richard Cosway painted this self-portrait in miniature. Here we see Cosway depicted in profile, his gaze averted, enclosed within an ornate, golden frame. The profile, a motif stretching back to antiquity, carries with it the weight of Roman emperors immortalized on coins. Consider the Renaissance portraits influenced by these antique examples. Each profile captures not just a likeness, but the essence of authority, an attempt to freeze an individual in time. But, the profile's journey doesn't end there. In the 18th century, it finds new life, adorning snuff boxes, lockets—intimate objects. The profile, a powerful fragment, capable of evoking profound emotions, resurfaces again and again, a testament to our enduring desire for connection. This self-portrait is a tangible manifestation of memory.