Portrait miniature of an unknown young man thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Portrait Miniatures, Room 90a, The International Music and Art Foundation Gallery

Portrait miniature of an unknown young man

Portrait Miniature
ca. 1588 (painted)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Although Nicholas Hilliard painted members of Queen Elizabeth I’s court, he also accepted commissions from customers who visited his shop in the City of London. Few of his sitters’ names are inscribed on their miniatures, and so many persons depicted are now therefore impossible to identify. This unknown young man, with his gold earring, rakish beard and long curl, seems the epitome of an Elizabethan gentleman. Dateable to the same year as Hilliard’s celebrated Young Man Clasping a Hand from a Cloud, this portrait demonstrates a simple alternative to the complex symbolism of many court portraits.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitlePortrait miniature of an unknown young man (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Watercolour on vellum laid onto card
Brief description
Portrait miniature of an unknown man, watercolour on vellum, painted by Nicholas Hilliard (1547-1619). Great Britain, ca. 1588.
Physical description
Portrait miniature of an unknown man, watercolour on vellum. The man is depicted quarter-length against a blue background, wearing a black jacket with a white lace collar. He has long dark hair in ringlets and two interlocking gold hoop earrings in one ear.
Dimensions
  • Height: 55mm
  • Width: 44mm
Style
Gallery label
Nicholas Hilliard 1547-1619 Unknown Man About 1588 Watercolour on vellum, stuck to pasteboard Bequeated by John Bryson Museum no. P.15-1977
Credit line
Bequeathed by J. Bryson
Subjects depicted
Summary
Although Nicholas Hilliard painted members of Queen Elizabeth I’s court, he also accepted commissions from customers who visited his shop in the City of London. Few of his sitters’ names are inscribed on their miniatures, and so many persons depicted are now therefore impossible to identify. This unknown young man, with his gold earring, rakish beard and long curl, seems the epitome of an Elizabethan gentleman. Dateable to the same year as Hilliard’s celebrated Young Man Clasping a Hand from a Cloud, this portrait demonstrates a simple alternative to the complex symbolism of many court portraits.
Collection
Accession number
P.15-1977

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Record createdFebruary 22, 2003
Record URL
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