Nicholas Hilliard

Nicholas Hilliard (1547-1619), English miniaturist, one of the leading artists of the Elizabethan period. Trained as a jeweler, he was appointed court miniaturist and goldsmith about 1570. His tiny portraits, often worn as personal adornment, are jewel-like in their delicacy of detail and brilliance of color. An avowed follower of Hans Holbein the Younger, Hilliard practiced a clear, shadowless style that lent great clarity to his works. He painted many leading court personalities, including Queen Elizabeth I, but his most sensitive were of unknowns, such as the elegant Young Man Among the Roses (1588?, Victoria and Albert Museum, London).