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 will be the first major UK exhibition of these miniatures for a generation. It will explore 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
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/ £8.50 (concessions)
BOOK NOW
(Transaction fee applies)
Exhibitions are free for Members and Patrons
Ignore
Ignore
Alternatively please book your tickets using the authorised methods below or become a Member to enjoy free and unlimited entry to all exhibitions. You will not need to pay more than the price of Gallery Membership to see the exhibition.
By phone 020 7321 6600
Daily 10.00 – 17.30 (transaction fee applies)
In person at the Gallery
Daily 10.00 – 17.00, Fridays until 20.00
Tickets without donation £10/ £8.50 (concessions)
Tickets with donation £12/ £10.50 (concessions)
Concessions include: senior citizens (aged 60 and over), students, children 12–18 years, registered unemployed, disabled people (with free entry for one carer). Proof of age or status required.
Free admission
Gallery Members, Supporters and children under 12 years in family groups.
National Art Pass holders 50% discount
Family Tickets
Book an Adult or Senior ticket and receive 50% off tickets for up to four children (12 – 18).
Schools
Tickets are £3 per student/pupil for groups 10+ visiting from 10.00-14.00, booking and paying at least a month in advance. Find out more. Find out more.
Groups
Special tours are available for groups, including a lecture and opportunity to explore the exhibition. For more information visit group tours.
Events
A range of free and ticketed events including talks, workshops, family activities and live music complements the exhibition
Events (13)
13 events matching the search term Elizabethan Treasures
Members’ Afternoon Preview: Elizabethan Treasures: Miniatures by Hilliard and Oliver
- For Members
20 February 2019, 14:00-16:00
Porter Gallery
The first major exhibition on Tudor and Jacobean portrait miniatures in the UK for over 35 years
No need to RSVP, simply bring your Membership card to the entrance of the exhibition for admittance to this Members’ only preview.
Find out more
Life Drawing: Life in Miniature
- Drawing||Workshop||Friday Lates
- Buy tickets
A part of Friday Lates
22 February 2019, 18:30-20:30
Ondaatje Wing Theatre
Tickets: £10 (£8 concessions and Gallery Supporters) Book online, or visit the Gallery in person.
Using Elizabethan Treasures: Miniatures by Hilliard and Oliver as a starting point, draw in miniature and focus on Hilliard’s wonderfully detailed style.
Find out more
Live Music: Anne of Denmark, the Dancing Queen
- Music||Friday Lates
- Buy tickets
A part of Friday Lates
1 March 2019, 19:00-20:00
Main Hall
Free ticket required Book online, or visit the Gallery in person.
Anne of Denmark, Queen consort of James I of England, is relatively unknown today, even though all English monarchs after James are her direct descendants.
Find out more
Weekend Workshop: An Introduction to Miniature Portrait Painting
- Workshop
- Buy tickets
9 March - 10 March 2019, 11:00-17:00
Education Studio
Tickets: £150 (£125 concessions and Gallery Supporters) Book online, or visit the Gallery in person.
Jenny Brooks of the Royal Miniature Society and Hilliard Society leads this two-day introduction to miniature painting
Find out more
Lecture: The World is Run Quite Out of Square: Some Melancholy Elizabethans
- Talks and Lectures||Friday Lates
- Buy tickets
A part of Friday Lates
22 March 2019, 19:00
Ondaatje Wing Theatre, Floor -2
Tickets: £10 (£8 concessions and Gallery Supporters) Book online, or visit the Gallery in person.
As the reign of the Virgin Queen drew to its close a group of young men called ‘malcontents’ formed. Sir Roy Strong explores some of the most extraordinary and complex of all Elizabethan portraits.
Find out more
International Conference: Hilliard, Oliver and the Miniature in Context
- Conference
- Buy tickets
28 March - 29 March 2019, 00:00
Thursday 28 March 2019
10.30 - 19.30
Friday 29 March 2019
10.30 - 17.15
Ondaatje Wing Theatre
Tickets: £40, £30, £20 for students Book online, or visit the Gallery in person.
This conference accompanies Elizabethan Treasures: Miniatures by Hilliard and Oliver.
Find out more
Lunchtime Lecture: Exquisite Objects: Dressed to Impress in the age of Hilliard and Shakespeare
- Talks and Lectures
- Buy tickets
4 April 2019, 13:15
Ondaatje Wing Theatre
Tickets: £4 (£3 concessions and Gallery Supporters) Book online, or visit the Gallery in person.
Portrait miniatures not only depict dress in exquisite detail but were part of the courtier’s armoury as he or she dressed to impress.
Find out more
Family workshop: Mini Me
- Family||Workshop
10 April - 11 April 2019, 11:00-16:00
Please check signage on the day for details
Free, drop in
Paint your own tiny portrait inspired by the miniature portraits on display in Elizabethan Treasures: Miniatures by Hilliard and Oliver and learn about the surprising materials used in Tudor times.
Find out more
Family workshop: Jazzy Jewels
- Family||Workshop
12 April 2019, 11:00-16:00
Please check signage on the day for details
Free, drop in
Make your own necklace or bracelet using beads, ribbon and glitter. Inspired by jewellery shown in Elizabethan Treasures: Miniatures by Hilliard and Oliver create your own dazzling charm to wear home.
Find out more
Performance: Elizabeth I: Construction of an Icon
- Performance
A part of Friday Lates
12 April 2019, 15:30-17:30
Please check signage on the day for details
Free drop-in
The Armada portrait of Elizabeth I commemorates the most famous conflict of her reign.
Find out more
In Conversation: Elizabeth I: Construction of an Icon
- Talks and Lectures||Friday Lates
- Buy tickets
A part of Friday Lates
12 April 2019, 19:00
Ondaatje Wing Theatre
Tickets: £10 (£8 concessions and Gallery Supporters) Book online, or visit the Gallery in person.
Three contemporary artists – Mat Collishaw, Christopher Green and Bettina von Zwehl – talk to Charlotte Bolland, Senior Curator, Research and 16th Century Collections
Find out more
Members’ Evening Private View: Elizabethan Treasures: Miniatures by Hilliard and Oliver and Only Human: Martin Parr
- For Members
29 April 2019, 18:30-20:30
Main Hall, Porter, Lerner and Wolfson Galleries
Our Members’ Evening Private Views give you the chance to visit the Gallery after-hours and are a great way to see our exhibitions away from the crowds.
Please RSVP to this event from 27 February
Find out more
In Conversation: London Craft Week: Close-up and Self-Portrait
- Talks and Lectures||Friday Lates
- Buy tickets
A part of Friday Lates
10 May 2019, 19:00
Ondaatje Wing Theatre
Tickets: £10 (£8 concessions and Gallery Supporters) Book online, or visit the Gallery in person.
Senior Curator Charlotte Bolland is joined by artist-jeweller Silvia Weidenbach and jewellery historian Beatriz Chadour-Sampson to discuss Elizabetha Treasures: Miniatures by Hilliard and Oliver and the enduring appeal of portrait miniatures.
Find out more
Members
Enjoy free and unlimited entry to all ticketed exhibitions with no need to book, along with other benefits. Membership starts from just £55. Find out more and join online today here.
Patrons enjoy all of the benefits of Membership plus more. Find out more and join online today here.
Portrait Restaurant
Breath-taking by day and dramatic by night, the Portrait Restaurant's celebrated view stretches from Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square down Whitehall, to the Houses of Parliament and beyond.
Group Tours
Discover more about the exhibition with a private lecture by an expert art historian or artist in the Ondaatje Wing Theatre, followed by a visit to the exhibition. Prices include exhibition entry.
£25 Person
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
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.
Friday Lates
Enjoy a drink at the bar and music inspired by our exhibitions, join our hugely popular mass art occupation of the Gallery and explore ideas about art, culture and society with our talks programme every Friday until 21.00.
Getting to the Gallery
 |
Leicester Square / Charing Cross |
 |
Charing Cross |
|
For directions to the Gallery please click here |
|
 |
Orange Street Street ramp/shop entrance in St Martin's Place, please click here for more information on Access at the Gallery Recorded information: 020 7312 2463 Recorded information: 020 7312 2463 |
