This year marks the 400th anniversary of the death of one of the greatest Elizabethan artists, Nicholas Hilliard (c.1547-1619). The Hilliards were a prominent family in Exeter, renowned for their craftsmanship. Although the name of Hilliard is now more associated with miniature portraits, the family were originally goldsmiths. Several objects linked to the Hilliards are now held in RAMM’s collection. Here we trace the family’s history, beginning with Nicholas’ father Richard.
As part of our project to make the decorative arts collection digitally accessible, we have been photographing our ceramics and focusing especially on RAMM’s Martinware.
Recently, the museum has had to the remarkable privilege of restoring, conserving, and researching some extraordinary wax portraits. No, we’re not talking about candles here. These are full-sized portrait busts from the 16th and 17th century, ornately decorated, gilded, and painted to showcase their sitters’ remarkable features.