Charlie Fenton’s Reviews > Elizabethan Treasures: Miniatures by Hilliard and Oliver > Status Update

‘The presence of a queen consort and three royal children was also a stimulus to portrait production. James continued Elizabeth’s patronage of Nicholas Hilliard, but in 1605 the more artistically adventurous queen consort Anne appointed Isaac Oliver her ‘Painter for the art of limning’ for the same salary as Hilliard, £40 a year.’

‘One particularly popular symbol was the impresa, a device of Italian origin, which combined an image and a motto to express meaning or philosophy personal to its owner. Imprese gained popularity in England from the 1580s. They could incorporate a pun on the owner’s name or heraldry, or a reference to some recent event.’

‘After Hilliard’s return from France in 1578, he quickly picked up new court patrons, and the 1580s and 1590s were his most productive years. Miniatures by Hilliard became a necessary adjunct to court life, and many survive from these decades, reflecting the elaborate fashions and ostentatious display characteristic of Elizabethan courtiers.’

‘Oliver’s artistic practice was less varied than Hilliard’s. He was a miniaturist and draughtsman alone. Yet his output within these disciplines was more diverse and experimental than that of Hilliard. His work relates both to the distinctive vernacular tradition of Hilliard and to the wider world of contemporary Continental art, including complex multi-figured compositions of imagined scenes.’

‘Hilliard’s extensive practice included work as a goldsmith, jeweller, engraver, woodcut designer, medallist and painter in oils, but only a small number of works in these disciplines can today be attributed to him with confidence. His unique reputation, both during his lifetime and since, has rested on his exceptional skill as a miniaturist (or limner, as was commonly used at the time).’

‘Miniature painting was not, as popularly thought, simply the art of painting on a very small scale but, specifically, the art of painting in watercolour and its opaque form, bodycolour, on vellum. Essentially, it was the technique used for illuminating manuscripts but detached from the page and framed as an autonomous work of art.’