Inspiring colouring my portrait commission this week is.............

The answer?

NICHOLAS HILLIARD: Official miniturist to the hottest people around, that is though in Elizabethan England.

Here is Hilliards portrait of FRANÇOIS, DUKE OF ALENÇON AND ANJOU, the only foreign suitor to have courted Queen Bess in person.

I've always been aware of Hilliard due to being a Tudor obsessed child, his vast array of surviving paintings give us a clear vision of 'The Golden Age'.

He completed his apprenticeship with the Queens royal jeweller Robert Brandon but a court painter was required and so he was snapped up & appointed 'limner' (miniturist) to Elizabeth 1 in around 1571/2.

In 1576, Hilliard left England for France, he mixed in French artistic and royal circles for 3 years, it will have been during his stay that he captured Duke Francois.

I have no idea if the miniture I adore here is actually by Hilliard, I'm suspicious due to the more classical & decorative painted surround, the portrait itself however is true to an original Hilliard, either way I dont mind because I LOVE this combo of crazy brights with the usual sanity of a N.H!

The bright & fun Indian colours caught my attention; a carefree, hand painted surface design fills the frame and the implied leaf-swag oval surround in turqoise-green reminds me of tactile 18th century stone masonry. The conservative and traditionally executed oval portrait miniture you'd think would be lost against a lashing of colour but instead we are drawn to the sitter like a bright light in a wealth of ebony cloth & white lace.

Its overall very flamboyant & girly, very French indeed.