Nicholas Hilliard (c.1547-1619): Notable Sales & Discoveries

The superlative 16th-century miniaturist, Nicholas Hilliard’s oeuvre epitomises the romantic and chivalric notions that defined the Elizabethan culture and captured the key protagonists of the age. Hilliard worked at the courts of King Henry III of France (1551–1589), Elizabeth I (1533-1603) – to whom he was appointed ‘Queen’s Limner’[1] - and King James VI & I (1566–1625). Alongside royals and courtiers, his work also captured the emergence of the wealthy professional class and rank among the earliest ‘citizen portraits’[2].

Sitters from all these groups are represented in works previously sold and researched by The Limner Company. Find about more about each the artist and sitters by clicking on the caption below the images. We’d also strongly recommend the recent biography of the artist by friend of The Limner Company, Elizabeth Goldring: Nicholas Hilliard: The Life of an Artist, 2019 (Yale University Press in association with Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art).

A pair of portrait miniatures of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) and Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester (1532-1588); circa 1675; watercolour on parchment; both 19 mm (³/₄ inches) high – previously sold by The Limner Company.

King James I of England and VI of Scotland (1566-1625), inscribed in gold in the blue background 'Ano Dmni 1609 / Regni 43'; 1609; watercolour and bodycolour on vellum; 4.9 cm (1 ⁷/₈ inches) high – previously sold by The Limner Company.

A cabinet portrait of a Lady identified as Lady Arbella Stuart (1575–1615); 1592; watercolour and bodycolour on vellum, stuck down on card; 21.1 by 17.6 cm - Private collection, discovered by Emma Rutherford of The Limner Company and Elizabeth Goldring.

A Noblewoman, possibly of Elizabeth, Lady Leighton (née Knollys) (1549-c.1605); circa 1585; watercolour, bodycolour, shell gold and silver on vellum; 5.8 cm (2 ¹/₄ inches) high – previously sold by The Limner Company, see media coverage on this notable discovery here.

A young Gentleman identified as Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton (1573-1624); early 1590s; watercolour on vellum, pasted to a playing card (probably a three of hearts, covered by a black ink spear or arrow); 51mm (2 in.) high – discovered by Emma Rutherford of The Limner Company and Elizabeth Goldring.

A Soldier, wearing white doublet and ruff, jewel-set gorget, yellow embroidered sash and gilt-banded helmet with white plumes on a purple velvet plinth behind; 1614; watercolour on parchment; 52 mm (2 in.) high – previously sold by The Limner Company.

A courtier, possibly Sir William Drury (1550–1590); circa 1587; watercolour and bodycolour on parchment with gold; 34 mm (1 ³/₈ inches) high – previously sold by The Limner Company.

LAURENCE HILLIARD (bap.1583-1648) and NICHOLAS HILLIARD (c.1547-1619) A Gentleman; watercolour and bodycolour, with gold on parchment; 51 mm (2 in.) high – previously sold by The Limner Company.

To view 16th/17th-century works currently so sale with The Limner Company, click here.

Footnotes:
[1] ‘Limner’ was the 16-century term for a miniaturist, and ‘limning’ the verb for miniature painting.
[2] See Cooper, T., Citizen Portrait: Portrait Painting and the Urban Elite of Tudor and Jacobean England and Wales, 2012 (Yale University Press in association with Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art).

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