★★★★★ The Times
‘Breathtakingly gorgeous’
★★★★★ The Telegraph
‘Small wonders from Elizabethan giants’
★★★★★ The Observer
‘Among the greatest works in European art’
★★★★★ The Times
★★★★★ The Telegraph
★★★★★ The Observer
Described as ‘a thing apart from all other painting or drawing’, the portrait miniatures of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods are some of the greatest works of art to be produced in the British Isles. Hilliard and Oliver were compared by their contemporaries to Michelangelo and Raphael, and gained international fame and admiration.
This is the first major UK exhibition of these miniatures for a generation. It explores what these intimate images reveal about identity, society and visual culture in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.
#ElizabethanTreasures
Spring Season 2019 sponsored by
Supported by the Elizabethan Treasures Exhibition Circle
Download the Large-Print Guide featuring all the wall captions across the exhibition
21 February - 19 May 2019
Open daily 10.00 – 18.00/ Friday until 21.00
Porter Gallery
National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London, WC2H 0HE
Tickets
£10-12/ £8.50-9.50 (concessions)
BOOK NOW
(Transaction fee applies)
Exhibitions are free for Members and Patrons
Catalogue
This fascinating book explores the genre with special reference to two of its most accomplished practitioners, Nicholas Hilliard and Isaac Oliver. Regular price £35.00



Film Series
First part of a series of films complementing the exhibition Elizabethan Treasures: Miniatures by Hilliard and Oliver. Discover the world of secrets and symbols with Senior Curator, 17th Century Collections.
Exhibition Tickets
£10/ £8.50 (concessions)
BOOK NOW
(Transaction fee applies)
Exhibitions are free for Members and Patrons
Visit
National Portrait Gallery
St Martin's Place
London
WC2H 0HE
020 7306 0055
Contact us
Opening hours
Daily 10.00 – 18.00
Fridays until 21.00
Last admission to the exhibition is one hour before the Gallery closes.
Exiting commences ten minutes before the closing time.
Getting to the Gallery
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Leicester Square / Charing Cross |
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Charing Cross |
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Shop entrance in St Martin's Place Recorded information: 020 7312 2463 Recorded information: 020 7312 2463 |
Miniatures in the Gallery's Collection
Explore fascinating details online, featuring Image zoom and supplementary Images from our Collection of miniatures here.