May 11, 2023

Bridgeman Images used in beautiful book on the work of artist Nicholas Hilliard

Client: Dr Elizabeth Goldring (author)
Book title: Nicholas Hilliard: Life of an Artist
Sector: Book publishing
Content Used: 22 images of miniatures and paintings from the 16th century
First Published: 1st February 2019
Publisher: Yale University Press in association with the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art

This illustrated biography follows Nicholas Hilliard's long and remarkable life (c. 1547-1619) from the West Country to the heart of the Elizabethan and Jacobean courts. Hilliard counted the Medici, the Valois, the Habsburgs, and the Bourbons among his Continental European patrons and admirers.

*Dust jacket of 'Nicholas Hilliard: Life of an Artist', written by Dr Elizabeth Goldring*

Bridgeman Images provied a number of portraits by Nicholas Hilliard and his contemporary Isaac Oliver, which were beautifully reproduced inside the book and on the cover.

Left-right: Queen Elizabeth I (enamel), Nicholas Hilliard (1547-1619) / The Portland Collection, Harley Gallery, Welbeck Estate, Nottinghamshire; Queen Elizabeth I playing the lute (w/c on paper) (see also 3912), Nicholas Hilliard (1547-1619) / Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire, UK; Queen Elizabeth I - The Pelican Portrait, c.1574 (oil on panel), Nicholas Hilliard (1547-1619) / Walker Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool; Portrait of Elizabeth I, 'The Hampden Portrait', c.1563 (oil on panel transferred onto canvas), Anglo-Flemish School, (16th century) / Private Collection / Photo © Philip Mould Ltd, London

The book showcases new archival research and stunning images, many reproduced in colour for the first time. Hilliard's portraits-some no larger than a watch-face-have decisively shaped perceptions of the appearances and personalities of many key figures in one of the most exciting, if volatile, periods in British history. His sitters included Elizabeth I, James I, and Mary, Queen of Scots; explorers Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh; and members of the emerging middle class from which he himself hailed.

Inside of 'Nicholas Hilliard: Life of an Artist', showing an illustration of Four Englishwomen in dress of the Elizabethan era, 1573-75 (pen & ink with w/c on paper), Lucas de Heere (1534-84) / British Library, London

Published to mark the 400th anniversary of Hilliard's death, this is the definitive biography of one of Britain's most notable artists. Its publication also coincides with the opening of the National Portrait Gallery, Elizabethan Treasures: Miniatures by Hilliard and Oliver, on the 21st February 2019 for which Bridgeman also provided images.

*Left-right: A Gentleman Called Henry Carey, 2nd Earl of Monmouth, 1616 (w/c on vellum), Nicholas Hilliard* (1547-1619) / The Portland Collection, Harley Gallery, Welbeck Estate, Nottinghamshire; Elderly Man in a black Hat, 1588 (oil on card), Isaac Oliver (c.1565-1617) / Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, UK; Leonard Darr (enamel), Nicholas Hilliard (1547-1619) / The Portland Collection, Harley Gallery, Welbeck Estate, Nottinghamshire; Nicholas Hilliard, self portrait aged 13 (w/c on vellum), Nicholas Hilliard (1547-1619) (attr.to) / The Portland Collection, Harley Gallery, Welbeck Estate, Nottinghamshire

Please contact us to find out more about licensing these or any other images.

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See more images by Nicholas Hilliard

See more images by Isaac Oliver

Buy a copy of Dr Elizabeth Goldring's book

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