Portrait of a Woman

The portrait was created by Nicholas Hilliard around 1596 on vellum. After its execution, the miniature entered the collection of Michael Friedsam, who is recorded as its owner before it was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a gift in 1931, where it now resides under accession number 32.100.311. No specific commission is documented in the available sources, but the work's materials and style are consistent with Hilliard's miniature practice of the late Elizabethan period.

Nicholas Hilliard painted this portrait in 1596 on vellum, a format typical of his miniature portraiture. The work entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art through the bequest of Michael Friedsam and showcases a woman adorned with lace, a ruff, necklace, and earring, reflecting contemporary Elizabethan dress. Its material composition of vellum and cardboard, as well as its provenance, underscore its significance as an example of late 16th-century portrait miniatures housed in a major public collection.

This small, circular painting, titled Portrait of a Woman, is rendered on vellum. It depicts a woman with fair complexion and a gentle expression, her dark hair neatly styled. The artwork exemplifies the intimate scale and detailed execution characteristic of miniature portraits, which were often cherished personal objects. Its delicate brushwork and focused composition highlight the subject's features against a subtly patterned dark background.