Levina Teerlinc

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Miniature portrait, possibly of Levina Teerlinc, painted by Nicholas Hilliard in 1572, when the lady in the picture was 52 years of age. Buccleuch Collection[1]

Levina Teerlinc (1510s – 23 June 1576) was a

Ghent-Bruges school and probably trained her as a manuscript painter. She may have worked in her father's workshop before her marriage.[2]

Biography

Self-portrait by and of Simon Bening, Levina Teerlinc's father

Teerlinc was born in

female painter in the court of Henry VIII,[7] although Catherine Parr was said to have employed three women miniature painters and these were Susannah Hornebolt, Levina Teerlinc and Margaret Holsewyther.[8]

Queen Mary gave her a New Year's day gift of a gilt silver salt in 1556 and she gave the queen a small picture of the

Stepney, London on 23 June 1576.[11]

Reputation

Art historian Louisa Woodville writes:[12]

Teerlinc’s contemporaries were impressed by her work. The sixteenth-century Florentine historian Lodovico Guicciardini heralds Teerlinc as the best of the women painters practicing at the time. Seventy-five years later, Flemish historian Antonius Sanderus assured his readers that she was “very capable in the two specialties of art.”

Works

Elizabeth I attributed to Levina Teerlinc, c. 1560–5. The Royal Collection.[13]
The likeness the sitter bears to those in miniatures of Katherine Grey, Countess of Hertford, has led to many suggestions that Lady Katherine Grey may be the sitter instead

No surviving works have been confirmed as Teerlinc's.

full-length portrait"), 1568 ("with Knights of the Order"), 1575 ("with other personages"), and 1576.[4] She also painted for Mary I in 1556 as a New Year gift "a small picture of the trynitie".[5] Teerlinc is best known for her pivotal position in the rise of the portrait miniature. She might have trained Nicholas Hilliard, by training a goldsmith, in the methods of miniature portraiture.[15]

Attributing Teerlinc's works is challenging because she did not always sign them. However, there are a few existing paintings that are suspected to be Teerlinc's due to the fact she was the only active miniaturist of prominence in English court between Hans Holbein the Younger in 1543 and Nicholas Hilliard in the 1570s.[16] Some scholars also speculate that many of the miniatures were lost in the fire at Whitehall.[17]

Katherine Grey, Countess of Hertford with her eldest son Edward Seymour, Lord Beauchamp, by Levina Teerlinc. Late 1562 or early 1563.[18] Private Collection

A 1983 exhibition at the

Great Seal of England for Mary I and the earliest one used by Elizabeth (in the 1540s).[10]

Possible portrait miniature of Amy Robsart on the occasion of her wedding, 1550,[note 1] by Levina Teerlinc. In the Yale Center for British Art

Partial list of works

Victoria and Albert Museum

  • Levina Teerlinc, Portrait of Lady Katherine Grey, About 1555–60, Museum no. P.10-1979[19]
  • Levina Teerlinc, Portrait of a Young Woman, 1566, Museum no. P.21-1954[20]
  • Levina Teerlinc, Portrait of Mary Dudley, Lady Sidney, ca.1575, Museum no. E.1170-1988[21]

Other

  • Levina Teerlinc?, Portrait of Queen Mary I, Duke of Buccleuch's collection
  • Levina Teerlinc?, Portrait of a Young Woman, Royal Collection, Windsor Castle
  • Levina Teerlinc?, Portrait of Elizabeth I in State Robes, Welbeck Abbey collection

Gallery

  • Katherine Grey, Countess of Hertford by Levina Teerlinc, c. 1555-1560.[19] The Victoria and Albert Museum, P.10&A-1979
    Katherine Grey, Countess of Hertford by Levina Teerlinc, c. 1555-1560.[19] The Victoria and Albert Museum, P.10&A-1979
  • Portrait of Elizabeth I attributed to Levina Teerlinc, c. 1565. The Royal Collection
    Portrait of
    Elizabeth I
    attributed to Levina Teerlinc, c. 1565. The Royal Collection
  • Mary Dudley, Lady Sidney by Levina Teerlinc, c. 1575.[21] The Victoria and Albert Museum, E.1170-1988
    Mary Dudley, Lady Sidney by Levina Teerlinc, c. 1575.[21] The Victoria and Albert Museum, E.1170-1988
  • Edward VI by Levina Teerlinc.[22] After William Scrots's portrait of the young King of c. 1550
    Edward VI by Levina Teerlinc.[22] After William Scrots's portrait of the young King of c. 1550
  • Amy Robsart – The Beaufort Miniature by Levina Teerlinc, c. 1559.[note 2] Private Collection
    Amy Robsart – The Beaufort Miniature by Levina Teerlinc, c. 1559.[note 2] Private Collection
  • Katherine Grey, Countess of Hertford by Levina Teerlinc. The Victoria and Albert Museum, P.21-1954. Heavily overpainted. The date of '1549' is a later addition and the costume is typical of Mary’s reign which would accord with the age of the sitter, about fifteen to twenty, circa 1555-60[18]
    Katherine Grey, Countess of Hertford by Levina Teerlinc. The Victoria and Albert Museum, P.21-1954. Heavily overpainted. The date of '1549' is a later addition and the costume is typical of Mary’s reign which would accord with the age of the sitter, about fifteen to twenty, circa 1555-60[18]
  • Elizabeth I when a Princess by Levina Teerlinc, c. 1551. The Paine Miniature. In October 1551 Levina Teerlinc was sent with her husband to the Princess Elizabeth 'to drawe out her picture'
    Elizabeth I when a Princess by Levina Teerlinc, c. 1551. The Paine Miniature. In October 1551 Levina Teerlinc was sent with her husband to the Princess Elizabeth 'to drawe out her picture'
  • Mary Neville, Lady Dacre by Levina Teerlinc
    Mary Neville, Lady Dacre
    by Levina Teerlinc
  • Portrait of a man, possibly Sir George Carew. Bought in 1970 together with the Yale Miniature from the collection of Miss Dorothy Hutton. At the time it was thought to have been painted by the same hand as the Yale Miniature
    Portrait of a man, possibly Sir George Carew. Bought in 1970 together with the Yale Miniature from the collection of Miss Dorothy Hutton. At the time it was thought to have been painted by the same hand as the Yale Miniature
  • The Coronation Miniature – Portrait of Elizabeth I in State Robes. Welbeck Abbey Collection, formerly in the collection of the Duke of Portland.
    The Coronation Miniature – Portrait of Elizabeth I in State Robes. Welbeck Abbey Collection, formerly in the collection of the Duke of Portland.
  • Portrait of Elizabeth I of England in her coronation robes. Copy c. 1600–1610 of a lost original of c. 1559[24]
    Portrait of Elizabeth I of England in her coronation robes. Copy c. 1600–1610 of a lost original of c. 1559[24]
  • Levina Teerlinc, Mary I with Figures in Landscape, Court of King's Bench, Coram Rege Rolls. Michaelmas, 1553[25]
    Levina Teerlinc, Mary I with Figures in Landscape, Court of King's Bench, Coram Rege Rolls. Michaelmas, 1553[25]
  • Levina Teerlinc, Indenture between the Queen, Elizabeth I, and the Dean and Canons of St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, 30 August 1559[26]
    Levina Teerlinc, Indenture between the Queen, Elizabeth I, and the Dean and Canons of St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, 30 August 1559[26]
  • Elizabeth I, Court of King's Bench, Coram Rege Roll. Easter Term, 1572
    Elizabeth I, Court of King's Bench, Coram Rege Roll. Easter Term, 1572
  • Illuminated Royal Letters Patent, 1571. Elizabeth I by Levina Teerlinc on this document, on vellum, recording the elevation of William Cecil to the peerage as Lord Burghley[27]
    Illuminated Royal Letters Patent, 1571. Elizabeth I by Levina Teerlinc on this document, on vellum, recording the elevation of William Cecil to the peerage as Lord Burghley[27]
  • Mary I "healing" scrofula by touch. A 16th-century illustration by the Queen's miniaturist Levina Teerlinc from Queen Mary's manual for blessing cramp rings and touching for Evil. Before 1558[28][29]
    Mary I "healing" scrofula by touch. A 16th-century illustration by the Queen's miniaturist Levina Teerlinc from Queen Mary's manual for blessing cramp rings and touching for Evil. Before 1558[28][29]
  • Henry VIII. A recent technical analysis has shown that this miniature was painted by the same hand as the Yale Miniature[30]
    Henry VIII. A recent technical analysis has shown that this miniature was painted by the same hand as the Yale Miniature[30]
  • Katherine Parr by Levina Teerlinc. The Sudeley Miniature
    Katherine Parr
    by Levina Teerlinc. The Sudeley Miniature
  • Katherine Brydges, Lady Dudley by Levina Teerlinc, c. 1560. A courtier to both Mary I and Elizabeth I. The daughter of John Brydges, 1st Baron Chandos and the wife of Edward Sutton, 4th Baron Dudley[31]
    Katherine Brydges, Lady Dudley by Levina Teerlinc, c. 1560. A courtier to both Mary I and Elizabeth I. The daughter of John Brydges, 1st Baron Chandos and the wife of Edward Sutton, 4th Baron Dudley[31]
  • Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford and 1st Duke of Somerset, 1550s[32]
  • Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, c. 1545–1547
  • An Elizabethan Maundy, miniature by Levina Teerlinc, c. 1560[28][33]
    An Elizabethan
    Maundy, miniature by Levina Teerlinc, c. 1560[28][33]
  • Elizabeth I, c. 1559. Has the spindly arms identified by Strong[28]
    Elizabeth I, c. 1559. Has the spindly arms identified by Strong[28]
  • Queen Elizabeth I of England receives Dutch ambassadors, attributed to Levina Teerlinc, c. 1560
    Queen Elizabeth I of England receives Dutch ambassadors, attributed to Levina Teerlinc, c. 1560

Footnotes

  1. ^ There have been several tentative identifications of this miniature. One theory is that it is a wedding picture of Lady Jane Grey, Amy Robsart's sister-in-law. Eric Ives argues that it cannot be Jane Grey because (among other considerations) she was too young, and says: "If the sitter was a Dudley wife and the miniature is a wedding memento, the acorns suggest Amy Robsart, who married ... at the precise age of 18 (Robert, robur, Latin for oak)." (Ives 2009 pp. 295, 15–16). Chris Skidmore concurs with this, adding that Robert Dudley used the oak as a personal symbol in his youth (Skidmore 2010 p. 21).
  2. ^ "Second half of the second half of the 1550's"[5][23]

Notes

  1. ^ Taylor, Melanie V. (4 March 2023). "Levina Teerlinc (?) Henry VIII's court artist from 1546 – 1576". Melanie V Taylor. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Levina Teerlinc: Biography & Works". Study.com. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Teerlinc, Levina (c. 1520–1576) | Encyclopedia.com".
  4. ^
    OCLC 37693713.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link
    )
  5. ^
    OCLC 2542396.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  6. ^ a b c Strong 1983:52
  7. ^
    OCLC 37693713
    .
  8. .
  9. ^ John Nichols, llustrations of the manners and expences of antient times in England (London, 1797), pp. 9, 22
  10. ^ a b King, Catherine (1999). What Women Can Make. pp. 61–62.
  11. ^ RKD data
  12. ^ Woodville, Louisa (12 May 2020). "Levina Teerlinc, Artist and Gentlewoman of the Tudor Court". Art Herstory. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  13. ^ "British School, 16th century - Elizabeth I (1533-1603)". www.rct.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  14. JSTOR 865738
    .
  15. .
  16. ^ Sutherland-Harris, Ann, and Linda Nochlin. Women Artists: 1550–1950. Los Angeles: Museum Associates of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1976. Print.
  17. ^ Bergmans, Simone (1934). "The Miniatures of Levina Teerling". The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs: 232–236.
  18. ^ a b Strong 1983:53
  19. ^ a b "Portrait miniature of Katherine Grey, Countess of Herford; Katherine Grey, Countess of Hertford | Teerlinc | V&A Search the Collections". Collections.vam.ac.uk. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  20. ^ "Portrait of an unknown woman | Teerlinc, Levina (Mrs) | V&A Search the Collections". Collections.vam.ac.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  21. ^ a b "Portrait of Mary Dudley, Lady Sidney (d.1586) | Levina Teerlinc | V&A Search the Collections". Collections.vam.ac.uk. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  22. ^ Auction House, Sotheby's. "ATTRIBUTED TO LEVINA TEERLINC | Portrait of Edward VI, King of England (1537-1553), circa 1550".
  23. ^ "The Beaufort Miniature Portrait". Lady Jane Grey Revisited. July 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  24. ^ Arnold 1978
  25. ^ Woodville, Louisa (12 May 2020). "Levina Teerlinc, Artist and Gentlewoman of the Tudor Court". Art Herstory. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  26. ^ Woodville, Louisa (12 May 2020). "Levina Teerlinc, Artist and Gentlewoman of the Tudor Court". Art Herstory. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  27. ^ "Illuminated Royal Letters Patent, 1571. | Burghley Collections". Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  28. ^ a b c Strong 1981:45; Quote: "all the characteristics of Teerlinc's spidery style"
  29. ^ Taylor, Melanie V. (9 April 2020). "The Good Friday Ceremony of the blessing of cramp rings and the curing of the King's Evil". Melanie V Taylor. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  30. ISSN 2058-5462
    .
  31. ^ Emerson, Kathy Lynn (11 October 2020). A Who's Who of Tudor Women. Kathy Lynn Emerson.
  32. ^ Museum, The Victoria and Albert (1550s), Portrait Miniature of an Unknown Man, retrieved 30 August 2023, In Roy Strong's exhibition catalogue Artists of the Tudor Court: the Portrait Miniature Rediscovered 1520-1620, London, V&A, 1983, this miniature was cat.no. 110. Strong attributed it to Nicholas Hilliard, suggesting it was probably copied after a portrait by Levina Teerlinc from 1550, and was possibly of "Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford and 1st Duke of Somerset", and dated it to c. 1600. In a recent reassessment of the workshop practice of Nicholas Hilliard Katherine Coombs and Alan Derbyshire of the V&A re-examined this miniature. Their conclusion was that "the miniature clearly dates from the 1550s". They further noted that the gold inscription, though 'not of a high quality, is in Hilliard's manner.' (See Katherine Coombs and Alan Derbyshire, 'Nicholas Hilliard's Workshop Practice reconsidered', in 'Painting in Britain 1500-1630: Production, Influences and Patronage', ed. T.Cooper et al, Oxford, 2015, pp.241-251.). The inscription in the manner of Hilliard is discussed in the light of other works pre-dating Hilliard which are inscribed in Hilliard's characteristic curling gold calligraphy: such as Hans Holbein's 'Lord Abergavenny' in the collection of the Duke of Buccleuch. This suggests that it is plausible for this miniature of an unknown man to date from the 1550s but have an inscription added by Hilliard in the late 16th century. It is worth noting that the inscription on this miniature - 'Aetatis suae' - is unfinished, as the age of the sitter has not been added, and was perhaps unknown to the person adding the inscription.
  33. ^ Strong 1983:55

References