Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban
- Artist: Nicholas Hilliard
- Date: 1578
- Medium: watercolour
- Dimensions: 2 3/8 in. x 1 7/8 in. (60 mm x 47 mm) image size (sight)
- Portrays: Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is a small watercolour miniature of Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban, painted in 1578 by Nicholas Hilliard. The image sits on a vellum sheet laid over card – a typical support for tiny portraits of the era. Hilliard used delicate watercolours and bodycolour to render Bacon’s face, his eyes bright and his expression serene. At the time of painting Bacon was only 17, already studying law and humanist texts in France. The portrait was made while he travelled with the English ambassador Sir Amyas Paulet on a diplomatic mission from 1576‑78. In the frame around the face, Latin words have survived: “If a worthy portrait were granted, I would prefer the mind.” Hilliard later adopted this French oval format after seeing François Clouet’s miniatures, but this work shows his early experiments. The miniature remains in unusually pristine condition – one of only a handful Hilliard painted abroad during that journey.
See it in person
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
