Nicholas Hilliard
Life of an Artist
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. It showcases new archival research and stunning images, many reproduced in color 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. 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 Hilliard’s death, this is the definitive biography of one of Britain’s most notable artists.
Published in association with the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art
Winner: the Apollo Prize ('Best Art Book of the Year')
Short-listed for: the Berger Prize for British Art; the Slightly Foxed Best First Biography Prize; and the Richard Schlagman Prize ('Best Contribution to Art History')
Awards
As featured on BBC Radio 4's 'Start the Week' on 18 February 2019 - click here to listen
Press & Interviews
'If Hans Holbein fixed the appearance of Henry VIII's court for the ages, it is Nicholas Hilliard who performed that service for Henry's daughter, Elizabeth. His exquisite portrait miniatures captured not just her transition from youthful monarch to Virgin Queen to Gloriana but the constellation of her court. [...] For those sittings he would stare at the royal visage for hours from mere feet away. Perhaps no one else ever looked at her so intently, Goldring's fascinating and beautifully produced book allows us to do something similar with the limner himself.' - Michael Prodger, The Sunday Times
'A landmark scholarly biography ... Goldring excavates the connections that let an Exeter goldsmith become an artist renowned at the courts of Europe. She has rescued a Renaissance in miniature.' - Jonathan Jones, The Guardian
'It pulses with the vivid conviction we find in JH Plumb's study of Walpole or Claire Tomalin's of Pepys. [...] Everyday lives in the Elizabethan and Jacobean ages are vividly rendered here. Goldring sharpens our ability to look beyond the glossy-magazine analogs of court painting and decipher, as with TS Eliot's vignette of the poet Webster, the skull beneath the skin.' - Grey Gowrie, The Financial Times
'Goldring's engaging account of [Hilliard's] life, character and artistic methods, supported by gorgeous illustrations and illuminating new archival discoveries, makes for a wonderful book, at once authoritative and full of pleasures' - Helen Hackett, Literary Review
'A brilliant and definitive biography' - Jerry Brotton, Financial Times Weekend Magazine
'Meticulous [...] lavishly illustrated [...] absorbing [...] a milestone' - James Hall, Times Literary Supplement
'Fascinating and beautifully produced' - The Sunday Times ('Best Recent Books')
ʼRich and compelling' - Matthew Lyons, History Today
'Crisp, elegant and engaging prose [...] A lavish abundance of full-colour illustrations [...] at last, the biography that the outstanding miniaturist truly deserves' - William Aslet, Country Life
'Sumptuous [...] the first ever full investigation of [Hilliard's] life and art, illustrated with 250 beautiful colour images [...] Elizabeth Goldring has tracked down a wealth of documentation and her eye for detail, deftness of touch and elegance of style perfectly matches the exquisites works of her fascinating subject.' - Roderick Conway Morris, The Lady
'Superb' - Simon Wilson, Royal Academy Magazine