Portrait miniature of Alice Brandon, Mrs. Hilliard, water colour on vellum, painted by Nicholas Hilliard, 1578.

Portrait of Alice Brandon, Mrs Hilliard, head and shoulders, wearing a ruff, in a circular frame with a decorative border with inscriptions in gold.

Acquired through The Art Fund

Provenance: The miniature is not referred to in Laurence Hilliard’s will as are those of her husband and father-in-law (see P.154-1910 and P.155-1910) which supposes a different descent; it was purchased by Walter Francis, 5th Duke of Buccleuch, in 1869; thence by descent; acquired through the N.A.C.F., 1942.

The plants shown on Alice’s bodice seem to be a head of wheat, and a carnation. There are possibly 3 ‘flowers’ but the green one on the right is unclear. At this time wheat indicated abundance, life, fertility. This seems entirely apt. Hilliard married Alice in 1576, and according to Mary Edmond in ‘Hilliard and Oliver’ (London, 1983, p. 65-66), Alice was in France with Hilliard in 1578 (the date of this miniature) and this was probably painted before she travelled back to England across the Channel, to give birth to their first child (baptized in May) – a letter from 19th Feb 1578 to the Queen says that Hilliard himself intended to travel home soon ‘and carry his wife with him’. It seems more likely that Hilliard’s father, Richard, finally accompanied Alice home. This explains the combination of wheat and carnation, a symbol of earthly love and marriage. The miniature is a touching portrait by the husband of his young wife, about to give birth, but separated from her husband, and approaching the dangers of travel and childbirth alone. The miniature as a memento.

The decorative gold border was probably added by Laurence Hilliard, one of the sons of the artist.

Alice Hilliard was Hilliard's first wife and the daughter of his former master, the Queen's Goldsmith, Robert Brandon. Their son Laurence also became a miniature painter, and it was probably Laurence who added the untypical encircling inscription and coats of arms as a memorial to his parents. This miniature was painted during the Hilliards' three-year stay in France, 1576-1578. Hilliard was probably influenced there by the famous chalk drawings of François Clouet, noted for their seductive ability to catch fleeting expression. On his return to England, Hilliard's portraiture, even of men, was to be characterised by a similarly sensitive quality, of which this work is typical.

P.2-1942