Portrait miniatures: Nicholas Hilliard & Isaac Oliver
From his workshop in Gutter Lane, London, Nicholas Hilliard painted both courtiers and other wealthy patrons. Many of his miniatures included elaborate symbols and mottoes, presumably chosen by the sitter. Similar personal symbolism was used in the annual Accession Day jousts, on the banners that courtiers carried to express their devotion to the queen.
Isaac Oliver probably came to England to escape the wars of religion in France. He learned the techniques of miniature painting from Hilliard, but also had some experience of mainstream European art. Unlike Hilliard, he used light and shadow (chiaroscuro) to give a three-dimensional realism to his portraits.
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Buy nowEvent - Holbein to Hockney: British Artists 1300 - 2000
Thu 23 January 2014 11:00
20 WEEK SHORT COURSE: Following the success of last year’s course, we are offering an expanded and more detailed version that explores the history of British art through close examination of examples held in the V&A’s unrivalled
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