Nicholas Hilliard was an English artist, goldsmith, and limner (decorator of illuminated manuscripts) who became famous for his gilded portraits done in miniature. He worked and lived in a time when the royal and wealthy indulged in ornamental, ostentatious display. This was the age of Elizabeth I and James I, and Hilliard captured many of the most prominent and memorable names of both the last Tudor and first English Stuart courts. Most of his work was painted on small miniatures, which were suitable for adorning the owner's costume, or carried in a pocket for private viewing. He also painted larger works, up to ten inches tall, which were known as cabinet miniatures. These were just as ornate as the smaller portraits, but were larger, and kept in the owner's private quarters. He also created at least two much taller panel portraits of Queen Elizabeth. One critic has described Hilliard as "the central artistic figure of the Elizabethan age...in its delicate microcosm, the world of Shakespeare's earlier plays."
Hilliard was born into a staunchly Protestant family of goldsmiths. His father, Richard, also served as high sheriff of County Devon. His mother was also from a family of goldsmiths. Hilliard himself was not terribly taken with his sparse and spare Calvinistic upbringing. He was apprenticed to the Queen's jeweler, Robert Brandon, while still a young boy, and it is suspected that it was during this time that he was trained in the art of manuscript illumination. He married Alice Brandon (daughter of Richard) in 1576. The couple had seven children.
Hilliard completed his apprenticeship at a most opportune moment. Elizabeth required a new royal portrait painter, and she chose Hilliard. The two longer panel portraits of Elizabeth were painted at this time, dated 1572. Royal records state that Hilliard was well-regarded by the court, mentioning his "good, true, and loyal service." In 1571 he created a book of portraits for Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, who was the Queen's favorite. The commission must have paid well and increased his fame, since several of Hilliard's children were named for Leicester or those close to him.
Later, for financial reasons, Hilliard relocated for a time to France, where he was under the patronage of the Duc d'Alencon. Money problems continued to plague him, and he returned to England. By 1579 he had fallen from court graces and began creating miniatures for the gentry and wealthy merchants. He did, however, still receive court commissions from time to time.
Image: Self portrait, 1577. |