Miniature portrait of Sir Walter Raleigh
Nicholas Hilliard, c1581-1584
The military and naval commander Walter Raleigh, was a favourite of Elizabeth I.
He was knighted in 1584 which may have been when this portrait miniature was commissioned and it seems to be the earliest likeness of him to survive. He is depicted wearing a small, decorated black cap and large circular ruff. This costume is French in style. In its elegance and delicacy, it ranks among the Hilliard's most outstanding works and testifies to the claim he made in his treatise on art, the Arte of Limning (c.1600), that 'the perfection of painting is to imitate the face of mankind'.
More information
Title of artwork, date
Miniature portrait of Sir Walter Raleigh, c1581-1584
Date supported
1959
Medium and material
Watercolour on vellum
Dimensions
4.8 x 4.1 cm
Grant
2000
Total cost
5000
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