Sold out
1 of 8
-
-
-
Fig. 1 | Isaac Oliver, The Browne Brothers, 1598. Watercolour and bodycolour on vellum, 240 × 260 mm. Burghley House Collection, Lincolnshire
-
Fig. 2 | Isaac Oliver, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, c.1596. Gouache and grey ink on vellum, 76 × 64 mm. Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
-
Fig. 3 | Isaac Oliver, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, after 1596. Watercolour on vellum, 51 × 41 mm. National Portrait Gallery, Londo
-
Fig. 4 | Nicholas Hilliard, Portrait of a Young Man, Probably Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, 1588. Watercolour on vellum, 40x30 mm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Fletcher Fund, 1935.
-
Fig. 5 | William Segar, POrtrait of RObert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, c. 1590. Oil on panel, 112x86cm. The National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin.
-
Fig. 6 | Isaac Oliver, Sir Richard Leveson, c.1595-1600. Watercolour and bodycolour on vellum, 51x40mm. The Wallace Collection, London.
Isaac Oliver
(c. 1565-1617) A man, probably a follower of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essexc.1596-98
Watercolour on vellum laid down on card; signed (lower left) with the artist’s ‘IO’ monogram.
57 mm high (oval)
Provenance
By 1938, part of the collection of Walter Samuel (1882-1948), 2nd Viscount Bearsted;
Thence by descent within the Samuel family;
Philip Mould & Company, London, acquired from the above, 2024;
Private collection, U.K.
Literature
The Royal Academy of Arts, (1938) Exhibition of Seventeenth Century Art in Europe [Exhibition Catalogue]. London: The Royal Academy of Arts, p. 224 (cat. 764);
Graham Reynolds, (1947) Nicholas Hilliard and Isaac Oliver: An Exhibition to Commemorate the 400th Anniversary of the Birth of Nicholas Hilliard [Exhibition Catalogue]. London: Victoria & Albert Museum, p. 40 (cat. 145);
Graham Reynolds, (1971) Nicholas Hilliard and Isaac Oliver [Exhibition Catalogue]. London: H.M. Stationary Office, (cat. 145);
Jill Finsten, (1981) Isaac Oliver: Art at the Courts of Elizabeth I and James I. Ph.D. thesis, Harvard University, 1979. New York: Garland [Outstanding Dissertations in the Fine Arts], vol. 2, p. 62 (no. 36);
Philip Mould & Company, (2019) Jewel in the Hand: Early Portrait Miniatures from Noble & Private Collections. London: Philip Mould & Company, pp. 88-89 (cat. 25);
Elizabeth Goldring and Lawrence Hendra, (2025) Miniatures from the Bearsted Collection. London: Paul Holberton, pp.64-69.
Exhibitions
London, Burlington House/The Royal Academy of Arts, Exhibition of Seventeenth Century Art in Europe, 3 January – 12 March 1938, no. 764.
London, Victoria and Albert Museum, Nicholas Hilliard and Isaac Oliver: An Exhibition to Commemorate the 400th Anniversary of the Birth of Nicholas Hilliard, 31 May – 31 August 1947, no. 145.
London, Philip Mould & Co., Jewel in the Hand: Early Portrait Miniatures from Noble & Private Collections, 12 March – 18 April 2019, no. 25
London, Victoria and Albert Museum, Nicholas Hilliard and Isaac Oliver: An Exhibition to Commemorate the 400th Anniversary of the Birth of Nicholas Hilliard, 31 May – 31 August 1947, no. 145.
London, Philip Mould & Co., Jewel in the Hand: Early Portrait Miniatures from Noble & Private Collections, 12 March – 18 April 2019, no. 25
Sold
-
-
-
Fig. 1 | Isaac Oliver, The Browne Brothers, 1598. Watercolour and bodycolour on vellum, 240 × 260 mm. Burghley House Collection, Lincolnshire
-
Fig. 2 | Isaac Oliver, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, c.1596. Gouache and grey ink on vellum, 76 × 64 mm. Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
-
Fig. 3 | Isaac Oliver, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, after 1596. Watercolour on vellum, 51 × 41 mm. National Portrait Gallery, Londo
-
Fig. 4 | Nicholas Hilliard, Portrait of a Young Man, Probably Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, 1588. Watercolour on vellum, 40x30 mm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Fletcher Fund, 1935.
-
Fig. 5 | William Segar, POrtrait of RObert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, c. 1590. Oil on panel, 112x86cm. The National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin.
-
Fig. 6 | Isaac Oliver, Sir Richard Leveson, c.1595-1600. Watercolour and bodycolour on vellum, 51x40mm. The Wallace Collection, London.
This miniature by Isaac Oliver depicts an unidentified young man, probably a follower of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, at the height of the earl’s political ascendancy in the late 1590s. Though once thought to represent Essex himself, the sitter’s broader features suggest instead one of the many young courtiers and soldiers who aligned themselves with the Queen’s charismatic favourite in the aftermath of the Cadiz expedition of 1596.
Miniatures of this kind functioned as highly personal objects, exchanged between allies, patrons, and courtiers. Their small scale encouraged close viewing, while their exquisite execution projected refinement and status. Oliver’s technical brilliance is particularly evident here in the minute rendering of the sitter’s beard, eyelashes, and lace collar, details painted with extraordinary precision. Such works occupied a space between portrait, political statement, and token of allegiance.
Seen in this context, the miniature offers more than a likeness of an unknown man. It captures a moment when Essex’s favour appeared secure...
This miniature by Isaac Oliver depicts an unidentified young man, probably a follower of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, at the height of the earl’s political ascendancy in the late 1590s. Though once thought to represent Essex himself, the sitter’s broader features suggest instead one of the many young courtiers and soldiers who aligned themselves with the Queen’s charismatic favourite in the aftermath of the Cadiz expedition of 1596.
Miniatures of this kind functioned as highly personal objects, exchanged between allies, patrons, and courtiers. Their small scale encouraged close viewing, while their exquisite execution projected refinement and status. Oliver’s technical brilliance is particularly evident here in the minute rendering of the sitter’s beard, eyelashes, and lace collar, details painted with extraordinary precision. Such works occupied a space between portrait, political statement, and token of allegiance.
Seen in this context, the miniature offers more than a likeness of an unknown man. It captures a moment when Essex’s favour appeared secure and identification with his circle represented a meaningful political and social statement. With the earl’s dramatic fall and execution for treason in 1601 still unforeseen, images such as this reflect the ambitions, loyalties, and shifting fortunes that shaped the final years of Elizabeth I’s court.
