Elizabeth I

Nicholas Hilliard, the foremost English miniaturist and limner of the Elizabethan age, painted this portrait of Queen Elizabeth I around 1575. Hilliard was the official miniaturist to Elizabeth and developed the visual language of the queen's carefully managed public image. The portrait contributes to the construction of Elizabeth's iconic appearance that became increasingly symbolic and hieratic as her reign progressed.

The portrait displays Hilliard's characteristic flat, linear style derived from his training as a goldsmith, with emphasis on decorative pattern and jewel-like detail. The elaborate costume and accessories are rendered with miniaturist precision appropriate to the artist's primary medium.