A term which shows up in art history. Between the 17th and 19th century, it referred to a painter of miniatures, i.e. very small paintings painted with brushes with only 2-3 hairs.
But it harks further back in that it was the person adding decorative elements or illumination to documents.
Outside the UK, in the US, it has been used to describe a dilitante in art or someone who was a good craftsman but lacked conceptual and creative thinking.
