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Glite Dictionary
limner

limner

9.9
A person who paints or draws portraits before cameras existed
  • noun
  • /ˈlɪm.nər/
  • Archaic
translation icon : pintor de retratos
  • The village hired a talented limner to create beautiful portraits for their gallery.

Examples

  • The primitive enters American art through limner artists and finds its first culmination in Copley's "magic realism."

    Academic text (2001)

  • In the 18th century, a renowned limner was commissioned to paint portraits of local nobility.

  • Many aspiring artists studied under the guidance of an experienced limner to improve their portrait painting skills.

Synonyms

painter
vslimner
214 1.0

A person who makes pictures using colour on canvas or paper

is an older word for artists who made images of people before modern times
portraitist
vslimner
1 7.6

A person who paints or draws a picture of someone's face

is an older word primarily used for such artists before modern times
portrait painter
vslimner
1 3.5

A person who makes pictures of people, usually showing their face

is an older term used for such artists before the modern era
portrayer
vslimner
7.2

A person who paints or draws faces so the picture looks like the person

is an older name often applied to such makers before modern times

Surface Forms

limner singular
limners plural

Morphology

limner = limn (transparent) = limn + er

Standard agent‑forming suffix '-er' added to the verb 'limn' yields 'limner' meaning 'one who limns', so the relation is directly derivable.

Etymology

Limner comes from the old verb limn, which meant 'to paint or decorate' and is related to illuminate, meaning 'to light up' a page with pictures. So a limner was someone who 'lit up' books or painted people's portraits, and today the word means an artist who made portraits before photography.