James I

Physical description

Portrait miniature of James I in an oval frame; half length, turned slightly to right and looking to front with right hand on hip; an inscription in gold around the edge of the portrait. Part of a spade which has been concealed with a band of watercolour is visible on the reverse of the support.

Place of Origin

England, Great Britain (painted)

Date

1604-1609 (painted)

Artist/maker

Hilliard, Nicholas, born 1542 - died 1619 (artist)

Materials and Techniques

Watercolour on vellum stuck onto a playing card

Marks and inscriptions

'IACOBVS. DEI. G(RATIA) MAGNAE BRITAN(IAE) FRAN. ET HIB(ERNIAE) REX.'

Dimensions

Height: 53 mm, Width: 43 mm

Descriptive line

Portrait miniature of James I, watercolour on vellum, painted by Nicholas Hilliard, 1604-1609.

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

Strong, Roy. Artists of the Tudor Court: the Portrait Miniature Rediscovered 1520-1620. London: The Victoria and Albert Museum, 1983.
Cat. 235, p. 144. Full Citation:

“NICHOLAS HILLIARD

235 James I, 1604-9

Victoria & Albert Museum (P.3-1937)
Vellum stuck onto a playing card with part of a spade at the reverse which has been concealed by painting a band of black watercolour across it, oval, 53 x 43 mm, 2 3/32 x 1 11/16 in.

The miniature can be dated to after 1604, by the inscription referring to James’s assumption of the style of King of Great Britain in November of that year. Graham Reynolds in his classification of Hilliard’s miniatures of the King identifies three main groups stemming from three sitting. The first, which must have occurred shortly after his accession in 1603, lasted until 1609 and it is to this group that the present miniature can be assigned (See Strong, Renaissance Miniature, pp. 114-119.). It depicts James at the optimistic opening of the reign as described in the Venetian relazione of the Ambassador Nicolo Molin in 1607 when the King was forty-three: “He is sufficiently tall, of a noble presence, his physical constitution robust, and he is at pains to preserve it by taking much exercise at the chase” (C.S.P. Venetian 1603-1607, no. 739).

The miniature is a repetition and not from life. The costume, as in the case of those of Elizabeth, is, however, directly observed and records a suit with a white slashed and pinked doublet decorated with diamond buttons and jewels on gold mounts and lavender trunk hose. The pale grey hat has white and pale blue ostrich plumes secured by a large hat jewel of diamonds.

The miniature has a companion, that of his daughter, Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia which is from life (no. 247 [P.4-1937]). One unusual feature of the miniature of James is the spade on the playing card at the back being painted over, second, a stylistic innovation, the introduction of the painted border which is distinctively Jacobean.

INSCRIBED: In gold on a blue ground within the border: + IACOBVS. DEI. G(RATIA) MAGNAE BRITAN(IAE) FRAN. ET HIB(ERNIAE) REX. It is damaged.

COLLECTIONS: Purchased from Commandant F. Besançon, 14 Rue Louis Grignon, Chalons Marne, France, along with pendant miniature of Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia (no. 247 [P.4-1937]), 1937; previous history unknown.

LITERATURE: V&A, 1947 (105).
Graham Reynolds, Walpole Society, XXXIV, 1958, pp. 17-18, A. I, pl. V (a).
Auerbach, Hilliard, p. 148, pl. 132; 310 (no. 136).
Strong, Hilliard, p. 32, pl. 15 (a).”

Exhibition History

Artists of the Tudor Court: the portrait miniature rediscovered, 1520-1620 (Victoria and Albert Museum 09/07/1983-06/11/19833)

Materials

Watercolour; Cardboard; Vellum

Techniques

Painting

Subjects depicted

King; Pendant; Lace; James (I of England and VI of Scotland)

Categories

Portraits; Royalty; Paintings

Collection code

PDP