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Portrait of an unknown man, called Sir Arnold Breams thumbnail 2
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Portrait of an unknown man, called Sir Arnold Breams

Portrait Miniature
1617 (painted)
Artist/Maker
Hilliard, Nicholas (follower of)
Place of origin
England (painted)

Portrait miniature

Object details

Categories
Portraits
Paintings
Object type
Portrait miniature
TitlePortrait of an unknown man, called Sir Arnold Breams (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Watercolour on vellum
Brief description
Portrait miniature of and unknown man, called Sir Arnold Breams, dated 1617, on vellum, painted by a follower of Nicholas Hilliard (1547-1619).
Physical description
Portrait miniature
Dimensions
  • Case (with loop) height: 85mm
  • Case (without loop) height: 73mm
  • Case width: 62mm
  • Case depth: 6mm
Style
Stuart
Marks and inscriptions
  • Sir Arnold Breams/KENT/Given to the Rev. F.H./Stuart-Montieth/By the Rev. Charles/Wheler. Durham. (This inscription is in ink in a possibly late 19th/early 20th century hand, on a piece of card which is now stuck to the red velvet backing of the wooden frame.)
  • To the left of the head : "Abigit[q?] trahitque". To the right of the head : "Aet Sua 27. Ano Dm 1617". (Inscribed in curling gold calligraphy to either side of the sitter's head.)
Gallery label
(c.1980)
Label text from c.1980
"Laurence HILLIARD (1581/2 - 1647/8)
Sir Arnold Breams of Bridge, Kent
Inscribed : Abigit trahitque. AET: sua 27 Ano.Dm./ 1617
On vellum
Rot.2 Alan Evans Bequest

The attribution to Laurence Hilliard, in the present state of knowledge, is probably acceptable, but this is only a way of describing a body of English miniatures which are very close to Nicholas Hilliard but which cannot, either on grounds of quality or date, be attributed to him. The identification of the sitter rests on an old inscription on the back of the (probably 17th century) frame. the inscription, in the beautiful calligraphy associated with the Hilliard studio, gives the age of the sitter, the year of painting, and an epigram. The latter literally means 'He drives away and he brings along', but in a transferred sense could refer to his charms - 'He repels and he attracts'."
[A typed copy of this label on the Departmental file for Evans 2 has been annotated by hand, "Nicholas HIlliard, studio" and "not Breams".]
Treasures of the Royal Courts: Tudors, Stuarts and the Russian Tsars label text:

Unknown man, formerly thought
to be Sir Arnold Breams
1617
England
By a follower of Nicholas Hilliard
Watercolour on vellum
Bequeathed by Alan Evans
V&A Evans.2
Credit line
Alan Evans Bequest, given by the National Gallery
Historical context
This miniature of a man wearing a jacket adorned with flaming hearts carries an enigmatic motto in curling gold calligraphy: 'Abigitq[ue] trahitque' (It both repels and draws). This has recently been identified as a conceit taken from William Camden's 'Remaines' (1605), comparing love to a rose (depicted on the left) whose bloom attracts and yet whose thorns repel. See William Camden, 'Remaines Concerning Britaine', 1605, p.169 (EEBO: Early English Books Online).
Subjects depicted
Rose (Flower)
Clothing
Breams, Sir Arnold
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
EVANS.2

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O17388/portrait-of-an-unknown-man-portrait-miniature-hilliard-nicholas/
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