Painters in the Reign of^een Elizabeth, 257 



the portraits of * Hilliard and his father, 

 finely executed, with infcriptions in gold 

 letters 5 on the former 



Nicolas Hilliardus, aurifaber, fculptor et 

 Celebris illuminator fereniffimae reginae Eli- 

 zabethae, anno 1577. aet. fuae 30. 



On the other, 



Ricardus Hilliardus, quondam vicecomes 

 civitatis et comitatus Exoniae, anno 1560, 

 aetatis fuae 58, annoque Domini 1577. * 



Hilliard continued in vogue during this 

 reign, and great numbers of portraits by 

 his hand, efpecially of ladies, are extant. He 

 obtained flill greater favour from king James, 

 drawing his majelly's and prince Henry's pic- 

 tures y and receiving a patent, printed by 

 Rymer, to this effed. 



Whereas our well-beloved fervant Ni- 



* Vertue fays he faw them afterwards in the poffef- 

 fion of the laft Sidney earl of Leicefter, and that they 

 were then taken out of the old frames, and fet in a fnuff- 

 box. Mr. Simon Fanfhaw is in pofreffion of two fuch 

 heads,. which have been thought the very piclures, and 

 are undoubtedly of Hilliard's beft manner, though one 

 has no infcription, and the other only the date of the 

 year and the age. But lord Leiceller gave the fnuff- 

 box in qucftion to marfhal Sir Robert Rich, in whofe 

 pofleifion it remains with the pidures. I have a dupli- 

 cate of the father. 



Vol. L R cholas 



