The first miniaturists used watercolour to paint on stretched vellum.

During the second half of the 17th century, vitreous enamel painted on copper became increasingly popular, especially in France.

The earliest datable portrait miniatures, however, are not Flemish but French, and are all believed to have been painted by Miniature painting is a term applied both to Western portrait miniatures and to the Indian and Islamic forms of manuscript painting discussed below.Miniatures were first painted to decorate and illustrate hand-written books.Indeed, the word 'miniature' comes from the Latin word 'miniare'.Portrait miniatures, or limnings, were originally painted in watercolour with body colour on vellum and card.They were often worn in jewelled, enamelled lockets.