The Burial of Nicholas Hilliard - 07 January 1619
- thedudleywomen
- Jan 7
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 16
On This Day (07 January) in 1619, Elizabethan portrait miniaturist and goldsmith Nicholas Hilliard, was buried at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church, Westminster.
Hilliard was born in 1547 in Exeter, one of four sons born to Richard Hilliard, a prominent goldsmith and later Bailiff and Sheriff of the city, and Laurence Wall, daughter of a London goldsmith, whom Richard had been apprentice to. Also known as 'Hilyard' and 'Hellyer' amongst multiple alternative spellings, young Thomas had been placed in the household of Exeter merchant and friend John Bodley from a young age. In 1553, along with many Protestant 'Marian Exiles', leaving English during the reign of the Catholic Mary I to escape persecution, Hilliard accompanied John Bodley and his family to the Continent. The family initially arrived at Wessel (now in Germany), then moved to Frankfurt the following year (where a small English Protestant community had formed), and then on to Geneva. It was during these years that the young Hilliard met many people who, during Elizabeth's reign, would support him in his career, and would sit for him; Sir Francis Knollys, who would later be appointed Elizabeth's High Treasurer, and his wife Catherine Carey, Elizabeth's cousin, were two such people. With Elizabeth's accession to the throne in November 1558, many Protestants were able to return from exile, and Hilliard and the Bodleys returned from Geneva in September 1559.
Hilliard remained within the Bodley household in London on his return to England, rather than returning to Exeter; however, he appears to have started studying works of those who came before him specifically related to portrait miniatures (including Hans Holbein the Younger, Lavinia Teerlinc and Susannah Horenbout), possibly receiving direct tutelage and instruction from contemporary artists, including Teerlinc, and subsequently producing his own pieces. He commenced his goldsmithing apprenticeship in Westcheap, London in 1562, near Goldsmith's Hall. Hilliard would later incorporate these skills into his portrait miniature creations, including intricate use of gold, enamel and jewels, in addition to limning (painting with watercolours) calligraphy and engraving.
Following completion of his 7 year apprenticeship, and likely employment as an engraver, Hilliard began to produce adult miniature portraits from 1571. It is shortly after this that he joined the Elizabethan court, as Elizabeth's portrait miniaturist; whilst his former master Robert Brandon had been the Court Goldsmith, it is likely his previous acquaintance with Sir Francis Knollys was influential in his appointment. That same year, Hilliard produced for Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, a 'book of portraitures'; Dudley was a well-known patron of the arts, and it is believed that by being a 'favourite' of Elizabeth I, Hilliard was able to gain access and subsequently paint a miniature of the queen the following year.
In 1576, Hilliard married Alice Brandon, one of the daughters of his Goldsmith Master Robert Brandon, as his father had done before him; the couple went on to have seven children. Only one son, Lawrence, continued his father's profession; one of his commissions was a portrait miniature of Margaret Russell (Clifford), Countess of Cumberland. The couple's last three known children were named for Dudley and those closest to him, as an act of gratitude for his continued patronage - Lettice (b.1583), Penelope (b.1586) and Robert (b.1588).
It is unsurprising, therefore, that many members of Dudley's family sat for Hilliard, with many portraits miniatures produced for various members including his second wife Lettice Knollys, Countess of Leicester, and her children from her first marriage: Penelope Devereux, Lady Rich, and Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex.
Shortly following his wedding, Hilliard travelled to France, where he spent two years working at the court of the French king Henry III, learning skills and techniques prevalent on the Continent, which he would then adopt into his later work on his return to the English court. Hilliard remained in the queen's favour throughout her reign, repeatedly painting portrait miniatures of her; he adapted the style of the 'Mask of Youth', continuing to portray the aging queen with a youthful, 'age-defying' appearance. His career initially continued under the new reign of James I, although his prominence dimmed slightly with the emergence of new artists. However, Hilliard adapted his work to suit James and his courtiers, including painting more detailed backgrounds, in contrast to his familiar blue background.
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