Queen Elizabeth I
Miniature
ca. 1595-ca.1600 (painted)
ca. 1595-ca.1600 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
In the 1580s the political and religious temperature of Europe rose. Threats to the Queen's safety increased, especially from Spain, and the fashion for wearing the Queen's image to express loyalty and devotion became established. From the late 1580s there was a proliferation of portraits of the Queen.
People
Elizabeth I rarely sat for portraits, since from one sitting a 'pattern' would be produced that other artists would copy. This face pattern by Hilliard, called today the 'Mask of Youth', was so successful that 16 versions in miniature have survived. Elizabeth was around 60 at this date, but Hilliard reduced the Queen's features to a few schematic lines, thereby rejuvenating her face. He then focussed on her sumptuous costume and jewels. This was not just vanity. The Queen had no heir and her succession was still undecided. Her government did not want to focus on her mortality and the Queen's official image became highly stylised, presenting a reassuring, ageless and powerful national icon.
Materials & Making
Nicholas Hilliard was a goldsmith and developed special techniques for painting jewels. Pearls were painted with a raised blob of white 'with a pretty little tooth of some ferret or stoat', as Hilliard's own treatise records. Sadly, silver tarnishes and the pearls and other areas in silver now appear black.
In the 1580s the political and religious temperature of Europe rose. Threats to the Queen's safety increased, especially from Spain, and the fashion for wearing the Queen's image to express loyalty and devotion became established. From the late 1580s there was a proliferation of portraits of the Queen.
People
Elizabeth I rarely sat for portraits, since from one sitting a 'pattern' would be produced that other artists would copy. This face pattern by Hilliard, called today the 'Mask of Youth', was so successful that 16 versions in miniature have survived. Elizabeth was around 60 at this date, but Hilliard reduced the Queen's features to a few schematic lines, thereby rejuvenating her face. He then focussed on her sumptuous costume and jewels. This was not just vanity. The Queen had no heir and her succession was still undecided. Her government did not want to focus on her mortality and the Queen's official image became highly stylised, presenting a reassuring, ageless and powerful national icon.
Materials & Making
Nicholas Hilliard was a goldsmith and developed special techniques for painting jewels. Pearls were painted with a raised blob of white 'with a pretty little tooth of some ferret or stoat', as Hilliard's own treatise records. Sadly, silver tarnishes and the pearls and other areas in silver now appear black.
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Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Queen Elizabeth I (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Watercolour on vellum |
| Brief description | Miniature depicting a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, watercolour on vellum, by Nicholas Hilliard, England, ca. 1595-1600 |
| Physical description | This miniature in one of many painted by Hilliard which deliberately abandon any attempt to depict a woman in her sixties. Known as "The Mask of Youth" portraits, these convey the legend of ageless beauty, with attention drawn from the face by the opulence of her clothes. |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by John Jones |
| Object history | Painted in London by Nicholas Hilliard (born in Exeter, Devon, possibly 1547, died in London, 1619) In Horace Walpole's collection at Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, in the 18th century |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type In the 1580s the political and religious temperature of Europe rose. Threats to the Queen's safety increased, especially from Spain, and the fashion for wearing the Queen's image to express loyalty and devotion became established. From the late 1580s there was a proliferation of portraits of the Queen. People Elizabeth I rarely sat for portraits, since from one sitting a 'pattern' would be produced that other artists would copy. This face pattern by Hilliard, called today the 'Mask of Youth', was so successful that 16 versions in miniature have survived. Elizabeth was around 60 at this date, but Hilliard reduced the Queen's features to a few schematic lines, thereby rejuvenating her face. He then focussed on her sumptuous costume and jewels. This was not just vanity. The Queen had no heir and her succession was still undecided. Her government did not want to focus on her mortality and the Queen's official image became highly stylised, presenting a reassuring, ageless and powerful national icon. Materials & Making Nicholas Hilliard was a goldsmith and developed special techniques for painting jewels. Pearls were painted with a raised blob of white 'with a pretty little tooth of some ferret or stoat', as Hilliard's own treatise records. Sadly, silver tarnishes and the pearls and other areas in silver now appear black. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 622-1882 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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