Who painted Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland?

Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland was painted by Nicholas Hilliard in 1590-01-01.

Where can I see Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland?

Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland is held by Rijksmuseum.

What movement is Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland?

Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland is associated with Mannerism.

Can I buy a print of Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland?

Museum-quality prints of Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland

Nicholas Hilliard , 1596

Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland is an unspecified painting by the Mannerist artist Nicholas Hilliard. It dates from 1596 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Technique & Style

Created in 1590 by Nicholas Hilliard, this work is classified as a miniature cabinet painting. The artist executed the portrait on a support of vellum mounted onto cardboard. The piece depicts Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, and measures 257 cm in height by 173 cm in width. It is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

History & Provenance

It is now held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it is catalogued as RP-T-1981-2.

The portrait of Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland was created by Nicholas Hilliard in 1590, executed in watercolor on vellum mounted on cardboard, a standard technique for Elizabethan cabinet miniatures. The work is classified as a miniature cabinet painting.

It is now held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it is catalogued as RP-T-1981-2. The painting measures 257 mm in height by 173 mm in width. Beyond its current institutional ownership and date of creation, the sources do not provide further details on the chain of provenance, the circumstances of its commission, or earlier owners.

Overview

Created in 1596 by the English goldsmith‑artist Nicholas Hilliard, this vellum portrait presents Henry Percy, the ninth Earl of Northumberland. Executed in the refined mannerist idiom typical of late‑sixteenth‑century England, the work now belongs to the Rijksmuseum’s collection.

Subject & Meaning

The image shows the earl reclining on his back amid a treed, grassy setting, his head supported by a hand. A small book and a pair of gloves lie at his side, while a swing bearing a globe hangs from a nearby branch, suggesting a moment of contemplation or leisure within a cultivated landscape.

Context

The portrait belongs to a period when English courtiers commissioned intimate, oval miniatures to assert status and identity. Hilliard, renowned for his work for Elizabeth I and James I, applied the same meticulous approach to this noble patron, integrating emblematic objects such as the globe to convey learnedness.

Jahreszeiten mit Jagddarstellungen: Herbst (Jäger mit Hasen- und Hirschjagd) und Winter (Jäger mit Saujagd), Johann Jacob Besserer

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Artist & collection

Artist

Nicholas Hilliard

Nicholas Hilliard (c. 1547 – before 7 January 1619) was an English goldsmith and limner best known for his portrait miniatures of members of the courts of Elizabeth I and James I of England. He mostly painted small oval…