The Mysteries of Udolpho

The Mysteries of Udolpho

by

Ann Radcliffe

Miniature Symbol Icon

St. Aubert owns a miniature portrait of a mysterious woman (who turns out to be the Marchioness De Villeroi, his sister who died young), and this miniature symbolizes how the mysteries of the past continue to affect the present. When Emily first sees her father with the miniature of the Marchioness, the Marchioness has been dead for decades, and so the miniature demonstrates how the dead live on in the memory of the living. It also illustrates how art can preserve the past and endure beyond a person’s lifespan (again providing a reminder of mortality, like the black veil). Indeed, as a historical novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho is itself a work of art bringing the past back to life, showing how the events of the 1500s remained relevant in the 1700s and beyond.

Ultimately, although the mysterious miniature of the Marchioness De Villeroi seems to be nefarious, suggesting that St. Aubert had an affair with a married woman in the past, it turns out to have an innocent explanation: the late Marchioness is St. Aubert’s sister. The Marchioness died not due to any supernatural causes, but due to the scheming of the Marquis De Villeroi and Signora Laurentini. Similarly, when a miniature of Emily (who looks very similar to the Marchioness) is stolen, Emily initially suspects that there might be some supernatural involvement. But once again, the mystery has an earthly explanation: Emily’s would-be suitor Du Pont stole the miniature. While the novel suggests that God works in mysterious ways, the miniatures offer the promise that humans can unravel at least some of these mysteries without resorting to superstitious or supernatural explanations.

Miniature Quotes in The Mysteries of Udolpho

The The Mysteries of Udolpho quotes below all refer to the symbol of Miniature. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Marriage, Love, and Inheritance Theme Icon
).
Volume 1, Chapter 2 Quotes

St. Aubert gazed earnestly and tenderly upon his portrait, put it to his lips, and then to his heart, and sighed with a convulsive force. Emily could scarcely believe what she saw to be real. She never knew till now that he had a picture of any other lady than her mother, much less that he had one which he evidently valued so highly; but having looked repeatedly, to be certain that it was not the resemblance of Madame St. Aubert, she became entirely convinced that it was designed for that of some other person.

At length St. Aubert returned the picture to its case; and Emily, recollecting that she was intruding upon his private sorrows, softly withdrew from the chamber.

Related Characters: Emily St. Aubert, St. Aubert, Madame St. Aubert, Marchioness De Villeroi
Related Symbols: Miniature
Page Number: 26
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Mysteries of Udolpho LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Mysteries of Udolpho PDF

Miniature Symbol Timeline in The Mysteries of Udolpho

The timeline below shows where the symbol Miniature appears in The Mysteries of Udolpho. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Volume 1, Chapter 1
The Wonders of Nature Theme Icon
Mystery and Superstition Theme Icon
...a bracelet that has a lot of sentimental value to her because it has a miniature on it of Emily. Madame St. Aubert remembers last placing it on a table in... (full context)
Volume 1, Chapter 2
Marriage, Love, and Inheritance Theme Icon
Mystery and Superstition Theme Icon
Emily watches St. Aubert, who looks ghostly pale as he takes out a miniature portrait that appears to portray a lady, but not Madame St. Aubert. He kisses it,... (full context)
Volume 1, Chapter 10
Mystery and Superstition Theme Icon
Later, Emily remembers a purse that St. Aubert had. She looks inside and finds the miniature portrait of a woman that she saw her father kiss when she was spying on... (full context)
Volume 3, Chapter 9
Marriage, Love, and Inheritance Theme Icon
Mystery and Superstition Theme Icon
Du Pont confesses to stealing Madame St. Aubert’s miniature of Emily and promises to give it back. Just as Du Pont is talking about... (full context)
Volume 3, Chapter 13
Marriage, Love, and Inheritance Theme Icon
Mystery and Superstition Theme Icon
...Valancourt sent when Dorothée walks in on her. Dorothée is shocked when she sees the miniature that Emily has from Madame St. Aubert, believing the portrait is of the Marchioness De... (full context)
Volume 4, Chapter 4
Mystery and Superstition Theme Icon
...past 20 years. The room contains a portrait of the Marchioness that strongly resembles the miniature that Emily has of herself. Dorothée has Emily stand by the portrait to see the... (full context)
Volume 4, Chapter 16
Mystery and Superstition Theme Icon
Mortality Theme Icon
A nun brings in a casket, and inside, Emily sees a miniature portrait that looks exactly like the mysterious miniature of a woman that St. Aubert had.... (full context)
Mortality Theme Icon
...really was the rumored secret lover of the Marchioness De Villeroi, since he had her miniature. (full context)