Nicholas
Hilliard
A Goldsmith’s Son and the Soul of Elizabethan England Nicholas Hilliard, a name inextricably linked to the refined elegance of the Elizabethan age, emerged from humble beginnings in Exeter around 1547. His father, Richard Hilliard, was a staunchly Protestant goldsmith, a profession that undoubtedly instilled …
A portrait built from Nicholas Hilliard's own colours
Every 29 approved work contributes its dominant tone to a single flowing field. Sorted along the hue wheel, the strip reads as a smooth spectrum. Click any band to reveal its full four-colour palette.
Bands follow the hue wheel; visually identical tones are merged.
Every painting, placed on the hue wheel
Each dot is a work — its angle set by hue, its distance from the centre by saturation. Hover a dot to see the painting.
The signature, in numbers
Where the colour came from
Up to 24 paintings representing the most frequent palette tones — each shown with its dominant colours.