Nicholas Hilliard
Born – Exeter, England c.1547
Died – London, England c.1619
Nicholas Hilliard is the first English artist whose life is reliably documented. The son of an Exeter goldsmith, he trained and worked for awhile as a goldsmith himself. By 1560 he was practising as a limner, that is, a painter of portraits in miniature; these were often mounted in lockets or worn on the end of jewelled charms. It was a precise art which combined the need for fine brushwork with an unerring eye for detail. He was appointed limner and goldsmith to Queen Elizabeth I in 1562. This portrait is one of the few full-size portraits attributed to Hilliard. It has helped to define the popular image of Queen Elizabeth, while providing a record of the courtly grace of Elizabethan age. It is known as the “Pelican Portrait” because the pendent around the Queen’s neck features a pelican. A traditional Christian symbol of Christ’s sacrifice, the pelican has been known to feed its young on its own blood and is therefore an appropriate symbol for a Queen who saw herself as mother of her people. Until overtaken by his pupil Isaac Oliver, Hilliard was the most successful limner in England.
Masterpieces:
- Portrait of an Unknown Man
- Queen Elizabeth I (Ermine Portrait)
Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.