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Alliance with Leicester; Bonhams Sells Portraits of Queen Elizabeth I and her Favourite Robert Dudley
http://www.bonhams.com/miniatures
Bonhams are delighted to announce the sale of a remarkable pair of portraits, painted by Hilliard, depicting Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester at Bonhams Knightsbridge on 25th November.
With each portrait measuring only 18mm high, the valuable lot, dating from circa 1575, is expected to fetch between £60,000 and £80,000 as part of the Merchiston Collection of Fine Portrait Miniatures.
Nicholas Hilliard (c. 1547–1619), was an English goldsmith, best known for his portrait miniatures of members of the courts of Elizabeth I and James I of England. His paintings are extraordinary records of the day and typify the image of Elizabethan England.
The relationship between Elizabeth I and the 1st Earl of Leicester characterised the reign of the Queen. Never had a nobleman been bestowed with so much patronage and power. Leicester, himself, possessed one of the largest and finest collections of paintings in Elizabethan England and was a principal patron of Nicholas Hilliard.
This pair of tiny portraits, almost certainly painted from life, would have originally formed part of a jewel or jewels of incredible significance, commissioned by either Elizabeth or Dudley for personal use or for exchange. They are a remarkable survivor from the Tudor period.
These miniatures form part of a 69-lot collection put together by Mrs Eleanor Hamilton, which spans the history of miniature painting from these examples through to works by Sir William Charles Ross, miniature painter to Queen Victoria. She purchased this pair after they appeared at Christie's, 28 October 1970, as separate lots from the Collection of Mr R H Spurway, Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Camilla Lombardi, Head of the Portrait Miniature department comments that: "To hold in the palm of your hand a pair of portraits that would have undoubtedly rested in the palm of the hand of the Queen of England five centuries ago is an extraordinary feeling. The intense personal nature of these miniatures, gives you a clear sense of the passionate woman behind the carefully cultivated public image.".
Enquiries: Camilla Lombardi on +44 (0) 20 7393 3985
For more information please contact Charlotte Hastings or Rosie Kempson at The Communication Group on 0207 630 1411 or email chastings@thecommunicationgroup.co.uk/ rkempson@thecommunicationgroup.co.uk
NOTES FOR EDITORS
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America and in August 2003, Goodmans, a leading Australian fine art and antiques auctioneer with salerooms in Sydney, joined the Bonhams Group of Companies. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further seven throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Boston in the USA; and Switzerland, France, Monaco, Australia, Hong Kong and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go to www.bonhams.com. (January 2008)
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