The art of the english portrait miniature

Nicholas Hilliard 1547-1619

One of the greatest exponents of the distinctively English artform of the portrait miniature.

Proportion of portrait to playing card

The self portrait is 41 mm in diameter and painted on vellum in watercolour.

Tools of the limner

Hilliard used ‘pencils’; squirrel brushes and ground his pigments which he kept in mussel shells.

The art of the portrait miniature has its origins in the illuminated manuscripts of the Burgundian court of 14th and 15th century Flanders. The Burgundian court at this time was the most powerful and rich court in Europe.

Henry VII wanted his new library in his newly built palace in Richmond to rival the wealth and beauty of the Flemish court. He engaged the finest artists from Ghent and Bruges to establish ateliers at his newly completed palace. The illuminated books and manuscripts produced by these craftsmen, and women, contained all the ingredients from which the English portrait miniature would evolve. The art flourished in England under the patronage of Henry VII, his son Henry VIII and his daughter, Elizabeth I.

During the reign of Elizabeth, the miniature reached its zenith with the skill of a young goldsmith called Nicolas Hilliard. Hilliard created the most exquisite jewels and painted beautiful miniatures for wealthy clients, including the Queen. These were ‘portable treasures’ that could be sent as love tokens or used for diplomatic purposes as proof of identity.

The miniatures of Hilliard are full of symbolism; non more than ‘Young Man Among Roses’; thought to be a portrait of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, Elizabeth’s favourite. The portrait epitomises the romantic Elizabethan age. The young man is dressed in black and white which were Elizabeth’s personal colours whilst leaning against a tree with his hand on his heart symbolising his love and loyalty whilst clutching an eglantine rose (Sweet Briar) Elizabeth’s favourite flower. The Latin motto reads Dat poenas Laudata fides; a quote from Roman poet Lucan pointing out that ‘faith, though praised, can cause pain’.

The skills needed to paint these miniature masterpieces were handed down from father to son….or daughter. It is thought that Levina Teerlinc, the daughter of Simon Bening; a master craftsman, taught Hilliard. Nicholas Hilliard is thought to have taught his son Lawrence and on of his students, Issac Oliver, who would become a brilliant miniaturist in his own right.

Miniatures during this period were painted on vellum (calf skin) which was glued to a playing card for stability. The painting was completed in watercolour. From the inception of the East India Company in 1600 miniatures started to be painted on ivory. During the eighteenth century miniaturists such as Englehart, Cosway and Smart achieved incredible detail and realism in their portraits. The tools, materials and techniques used have changed little from those used by Hilliard. Susan still paints on vellum (calfskin) in watercolour.

The miniature flourished under the patronage of the Tudors, Stuarts and the Hanovarian monarchs but during the early 19th century their popularity waned with the invention of photography in the 1830’s.

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