cabinet picture

noun

1. a small easel painting, usually under 3 feet (0.9 meters) in width and formerly exhibited in a cabinet or special room.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cabinet picture¹

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

To cite one: An exquisite, jam-packed little cabinet picture by Joachim Wtewael, the eccentric Dutch Mannerist, shows the Roman myth of Venus cuckolding Vulcan with Mars, an indiscretion exposed by Mercury.

From Los Angeles Times

While at Oxford the cabinet picture has taken deep root, and has grown into a strong and vigorous article of demand, it is a well-known fact that at Cambridge it is “sicklied o‘er with the pale cast of thought,” and languishes on in a state trembling between life and death.

From Project Gutenberg

I know how much has been done by launching them fearlessly on the sea of public patronage in several localities, and I feel certain the demand would be much more general if the cabinet picture were judiciously introduced.

From Project Gutenberg

Each tale is in fact a cabinet picture, combining history and landscape.

From Project Gutenberg

Hagar and Ishmael in the Desert, by A. Woodside, is a cabinet picture which would be regarded as good beside any of the many great productions which illustrate the same subject.

From Project Gutenberg