Nicholas Hilliard

by Karen Hearn

Nicholas Hilliard's portrait miniatures open a remarkable window on to the highest levels of English society in the later years of the sixteenth and the early years of the seventeenth century - the Elizabethan and Jacobean ages. It is impossible to remain immune to their charm and charisma.
Hilliard's images show us the features of many celebrities of his time with a comparative naturalism that is usually absent from the large-scale paintings of his contemporaries. Hilliard has helped form our ideas of the appearance of among others, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Sir Francis Drake, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, Sir Walter Ralegh and James I.

Genres: Art

160 pages, Hardcover

First published September 5, 2005

Reviews

[Emma-jane Stevens · Rating 2 out of 5]

A beautiful little book but I was expecting more. More insight into his techniques (his work has been studied in detail by experts after all), more of his work than just a few examples... and bigger images. I know he is known for his miniatures but I swear the images in the book are even smaller than the original works I have seen on display.

Each image is displayed on the page surrounded by an excess of blank white paper (where a larger image could easily have appeared) and there is very little text.

I love Hilliard but this little book disappointed me.