Portrait of James I
Miniature
1733 (painted)
1733 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Bernard Lens was the first artist in England to work in watercolour on ivory, the invention of the Venetian artist Rosalba Carriera (1675-1757). But Lens also worked on vellum, catering for the consciously old-fashioned taste of some collectors.
This miniature is on vellum and has the solid blue background typical of Tudor and early Stuart miniatures, and so appears to be a ‘traditional’ miniature of an historical character. Early 18th-century antiquarians had a passion for collecting so-called ‘heads’ (portraits of famous people). Horace Walpole, an amateur pupil of Bernard Lens, typified this mania, with a collection of thousands of prints and paintings of famous people.
This miniature is on vellum and has the solid blue background typical of Tudor and early Stuart miniatures, and so appears to be a ‘traditional’ miniature of an historical character. Early 18th-century antiquarians had a passion for collecting so-called ‘heads’ (portraits of famous people). Horace Walpole, an amateur pupil of Bernard Lens, typified this mania, with a collection of thousands of prints and paintings of famous people.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Portrait of James I (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | Watercolour on vellum |
| Brief description | Portrait miniature of James I, one of a series, watercolour on vellum, dated 1733, painted by Bernard Lens (1682-1740). |
| Physical description | Portrait of James I, after Nicholas Hilliard. The frame is labelled "K.James.1". He is wearing the Order of the Garter ribbon. This portrait is part of a series of over 30 images by Bernard Lens and his sons, of the Kings and Queens of England. The V&A holds 4 examples of this series. On the reverse of each work is an inscription, probably not by the artist, giving the serial number of the series and the source of the work, for example "after Holbin" (ie. Hans Holbein), "after Hilyard" (ie. after Nicholas Hilliard). Each work is on vellum (fine animal skin) and signed in monogram, and each is framed in a turned wood frame inscribed in gold with the sitters name. |
| Dimensions |
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| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Bernard Lens was the first artist in England to work in watercolour on ivory, the invention of the Venetian artist Rosalba Carriera (1675-1757). But Lens also worked on vellum, catering for the consciously old-fashioned taste of some collectors. This miniature is on vellum and has the solid blue background typical of Tudor and early Stuart miniatures, and so appears to be a ‘traditional’ miniature of an historical character. Early 18th-century antiquarians had a passion for collecting so-called ‘heads’ (portraits of famous people). Horace Walpole, an amateur pupil of Bernard Lens, typified this mania, with a collection of thousands of prints and paintings of famous people. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.594-1994 |
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| Record created | February 25, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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