HILLIARD, Nicholas
(b. 1547, Exeter, d. 1619, London)

Queen Elizabeth I

1572
Watercolour on vellum, 51 x 48 mm (oval)
National Portrait Gallery, London

Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) reigned 1558-1603. This remarkable picture is the earliest known miniature of the queen, painted when she was 38 years old.