An Unknown Woman
Portrait Miniature
1590-1593 (painted)
1590-1593 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Here we can see Hilliard’s close attention to costume and the impact on his miniatures of ever-changing fashions. The lady is unknown, yet she must have been a wealthy woman, judging by her heavy and elaborate jewellery, complete with necklace, chain, earrings, jewels on the front and shoulders of her dress, and a kind of aigrette in her hair. The edges of her starched ruff are also elaborately decorated with red textile ties. In an age when clothes were assumed to be an accurate indicator of status, it was judged essential to wear your wealth, especially when being immortalised in a portrait.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | An Unknown Woman (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | Watercolour on vellum stuck onto a playing card |
| Brief description | Portrait miniature of an unknown woman, watercolour on vellum, painted by Nicholas Hilliard, 1590-1593. |
| Physical description | Portrait miniature of a woman, head and shoulders, oval frame with a loop at top; the six of diamonds is printed on reverse of the backing sheet on which the portrait is mounted. |
| Dimensions |
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| Content description | Portrait of a woman, head and shoulders, turned slightly to left and looking to front; the sitter is wearing a black dress adorned with jewels, necklace and a large ruff. |
| Styles | |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by E. Peter Jones |
| Object history | Provenance: Mrs Wyndham Cook as Queen Elizabeth; bequeathed by E. Peter Jones 1948. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Here we can see Hilliard’s close attention to costume and the impact on his miniatures of ever-changing fashions. The lady is unknown, yet she must have been a wealthy woman, judging by her heavy and elaborate jewellery, complete with necklace, chain, earrings, jewels on the front and shoulders of her dress, and a kind of aigrette in her hair. The edges of her starched ruff are also elaborately decorated with red textile ties. In an age when clothes were assumed to be an accurate indicator of status, it was judged essential to wear your wealth, especially when being immortalised in a portrait. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | P.9-1947 |
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| Record created | February 21, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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