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NICHOLAS HILLIARD
A Youth Leaning Against a Tree Among Roses (c. 1588)
Water-based medium on wood, 12.8cm X 7cm/5 3/8in x 2 3/4 in

Nicholas Hilliard was originally trained as a goldsmith and this is evident in his exquisite miniatures. After spending time in France in the service of the Duke of Anjou, he emerged as a mature painter in the jjjj^^HliiJ, late 1570s in London as the Royal miniaturist to Elizabeth and later James I. Hilliard was a declared follower of Holbein and French court portraiture, and his known oeuvre consists entirely of portrait miniatures which he developed with an inti-macy and subtlety peculiar to the art. His linear style, incorporating naturalistic observa-tion and modeling, found particular favor with Elizabeth 1 who was painted by Hilliard in 1 572.

Hilliard's Treatise on the Art oj Limninc] was a textbook on miniature painting based on his own methods and experience. 'Limning' was a contemporary term for this art and involved painting on vellum (calfskin). The technique was closely related to the tradition of illumi-nated manuscript artists.

Hilliard painted on prepared vellum, stretch-ed over a playing card and fixed with thin paste. His brushes were made of squirrel hair fitted into a quill or handle. He cautioned against the use of too small a brush as an uneven surface would result with visible brush strokes, while too fine a tip would not take enough color. He never used a magnifying glass as this caused distortion and over-emphasis and would always work from life rather than doing preparatory drawings of his subject. Hilliard's colors were made from natural ingredients ground on a crystal block which were then mixed with distilled water and gum arable. To give plasticity to the lakes and umbers, he would add a little sugar candy. He advised against using muddy tones and lists as his preference black, white, red. blue. green. yellow and murrey (reddish-purple). He used three types of white - 'whitlead' for body color, one for painting linen and satin, and another for faces. He also used three types of black, his preference being burnt ivory, especially for painting the eyes.

To create tones. Hilliard built up successive coats of fluid color applied in short strokes and light dabs. He did not use underdrawing as the delicate surface of the vellum made cor-recting difficult and advised the use of pencil dipped in a flesh tint to emphasize lines.

The majority of Hilliard's portraits show only the sitter's head and shoulders and this is one of his few full-length portraits. The sitter is thought to be Robert Devereux, the ill-fated Earl of Essex, favorite of Queen Elizabeth I who was executed for treason in 1601. Hilliard primed the vellum with a pale flesh tint. As the colors dried, light penetrated the translucent paint and was reflected back from the vellum giving a glowing purity of color. The support not only affected the color of the pigments used, but iras used as a color in itself. The scale of Hilliard's work - always a primary consideration - meant that clarity of detail rather than full chiaroscuro modelling was essential and Hilliard used a minimum of shading and modelling, as if his subjects were illuminated in full sunlight. Hilliard's use of line and pattern enlivens and counteracts the flatness created by this lack of modelling, emphasizing the ornamental function of his work.
Hilliard used wild roses to create a rich, lacelike design to break up the flatness of the sitter's dark cloak. For the face and ruff, the priming coat has been modelled with flesh tints to create the features. Hilliard attached great importance to capturing the complexion of his sitters.

The hair is created by using a wash over which a series of minute strokes define the curls. To create an elaborate ruff. Hilliard squeezed thick paint on to trace its line. When dry, this gave a raised line which cast a shadow.

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