Nicholas Hilliard: Life of an Artist

This illustrated biography follows Nicholas Hilliards long and remarkable life (c. 15471619) from the West Country to the heart of the Elizabethan and Jacobean courts. It showcases new archival research and stunning images, many reproduced in color for the first time. Hilliards portraitssome no larger than a watch-facehave 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. Hilliard counted the Medici, the Valois, the Habsburgs, and the Bourbons among his Continental European patrons and admirers. Published to mark the 400th anniversary of Hilliards death, this is the definitive biography of one of Britains most notable artists.

Published in association with the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art See more