The Collectors

For almost half a century the German-American couple Lieselotte and Ernest Tansey collected miniature portraits, developing a collection that became unique in terms of both its quality and its size.

Due to Lieselotte Tansey’s love for her home town of Celle (in Lower Saxony, Germany), where she and her husband lived until their deaths, this collection remains in the Bomann-Museum in Celle.

Lieselotte Tansey’s interest in miniatures began in the 1960s, triggered by some items she had inherited from her mother. This developed into one of the largest and best collections of European miniature painting. It was crucially influenced by the fact that Lieselotte Tansey took advice from a circle of international experts at an early stage, and also by her own personal taste and unerring sense of quality. The collection is noteworthy not only for the range of countries, artists and eras represented but also in particular for its exceptionally high artistic quality. It spans the period from the late 16th century to the early 20th century, with a clear focus on the rococo era, characterised by especially elegant settings, delicacy, gracefulness and very refined representation. Miniatures from this epoch were extremely dear to the collector’s heart.

The Tanseys not only put together a valuable pool of items from which future generations will be able to benefit, but they also created ways for them to be accessed and studied. The collectors were very open to all new forms of presentation using new media and promoted the conservation of the collection, its academic study and its documentation in a dedicated database that is continually updated and can be accessed via the website of the Tansey Miniatures Foundation. Furthermore, the sumptuous catalogues, which have been bilingual since 2012, also continue the classical medium of the book, so that following all the exhibitions a complete catalogue of the collection will have been produced. Thanks to the generosity of Mr and Mrs Tansey, it has also been possible to realise the exhibitions themselves with the most advanced conservation methods and exhibition technology. Their appealing presentation is still unusual in today’s museums, in which miniatures are frequently neglected. This includes a visitors’ area where users can work in the foundation’s own library and research international miniature painting.

ÜIn addition, Mr and Mrs Tansey promoted cultural and social activities in Celle. Both of them were keen supporters of the “Celler Tafel” (that collects donated food for the homeless), and now even after their deaths they continue to benefit others through a social foundation. In the USA Lieselotte Tansey provided major financial support to a hospital named after her, which is involved in the research and treatment of breast cancer (the “Lieselotte Tansey Breast Center”, New Orleans).
In 2001 Lieselotte Tansey was awarded Celle’s medal of honour, in summer 2007 she received the Lower Saxony Order of Merit, and in 2009 she was made an honorary citizen of Celle.

Ernest Tansey died in 2014. Lieselotte Tansey died two years after her husband, shortly before her 96th birthday. With the constant support of her husband, Lieselotte Tansey was the driving force in the history of this collection and continued to add new pieces to the very last.