Sir Anthony Mildmay, Knight of Apethorpe, Northamptonshire
Framed by the folds of a circular tent, Sir Anthony Mildmay strikes a relaxed and confident pose, with his right hand resting on a cloth-covered table and his left grasping the hilt of his thin, double-edged sword called a rapier. Helmet, gauntlet, and leg coverings are scattered about, as if Mildmay has been interrupted in the act of putting on or taking off his armor. Despite its small scale, this portrait reveals Nicholas Hilliard’s emulation of (and rivalry with) life-size court portraiture, while his meticulous attention to detail and use of costly materials like shell gold reflect the...
Details
- Palette
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Select a color to find related artworks.
- Dimensions
- unframed: height 0.233 m, width 0.174 m; overall framed: height 0.327 m, width 0.268 m; sheet: height 0.232 m, width 0.171 m
- Origin
- England, 16th century
- Department
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Art Genome Taxonomy
7 tags
Subject Matter
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Individual Portrait Both · 99%
The Cleveland Museum of Art classifies the work as a portrait miniature, and the image presents a single named sitter in a formal, staged pose.
Visual Qualities
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Highly Detailed Visual · 98%
Fine details are articulated throughout the sitter’s armor, clothing, sword, tent furnishings, drapery, and surrounding equipment.
Medium and Techniques
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Miniature and Small-Scale Paintings Both · 99%
The catalog identifies the work as a portrait miniature and records an unframed height of approximately 23.3 centimeters; the image is a highly detailed small-format composition.
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Watercolor Metadata · 99%
The catalog specifies watercolor on vellum, laid on card and mounted on wood.
Time Periods
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16th Century Art Metadata · 99%
The work is dated approximately 1590–93 and is identified as originating in England in the 16th century.
Geographic Regions
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British and Irish Art Metadata · 96%
The artist is identified as English and the place of origin is recorded as England.
Materials
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Gold Metadata · 95%
The catalog specifically notes the use of costly shell gold, a material associated with the gold-colored highlights visible in the image.
Source & rights
Nicholas Hilliard (English, c. 1547–1619). Sir Anthony Mildmay, Knight of Apethorpe, Northamptonshire. Cleveland Museum of Art.