Hilliard, Nicholas
Portrait of an Elizabethan Court Lady (formerly thought to be Elizabeth I)
c. 1590
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Category
Place Made
England
Materials
Watercolor on parchment applied to card
Measurements
oval: 2 3/16 x 1 13/16 in.
Credit Line
The Latter-Schlesinger Collection, Gift of Shirley Latter Kaufmann in memory of Harry and Anna Latter
Location
Lupin Foundation Center for the Decorative Arts
Accession #
74.337
Description
Nicholas Hilliard, considered the first notable English portrait miniature artist, is credited for some of the greatest artworks produced in the British Isles. Hilliard was appointed official portrait painter to Queen Elizabeth I (1533–1603).
During the politically fraught Elizabethan years, the Queen’s wealthy subjects wore miniatures of the monarch as a sign of loyalty.