Levina Teerlinc: Female Miniature Portrait Artist to the Tudors

Most would name the great Tudor and Elizabethan portrait artists as follows: Holbein, Hilliard,, Eworth, Gower, van der Meulen, Oliver, Scrots, and Peake. Yet, there is an oft-forgotten personage that should be included among the pantheon of 16th century artists working in the English royal court; that person is female court painter Levina Teerlinc (c.1520-1576).

Teerlinc, who worked exclusively in miniature portraiture, was employed by four out of the five Tudor monarchs. She received a higher starting salary than Hans Holbein the Younger for her services to King Henry VIII (Harris, Nochlin, 102).

King Henry VIII by Hans Holbein, circa 1540. Image public domain through Creative Commons licensing, NPG, London.

Levina was the eldest of five daughters born to a Flemish illuminator and miniature painter in Bruges, named Simon Benninck. In the absence of a son, and as the eldest daughter, Levina was trained as an artist, presumably by her father. By 1545, Levina was married to George Teerlinc and still living in Bruges; just one year later, in November of 1546, Levina and her husband left for England. Levina had been hired by King Henry VIII as a court artist, being granted an annuity income of 40 pounds, to last "from the annunciation of our Lady during your Majesty's pleasure".

A self-portrait of Simon Benninck from 1558, aged 75. He died three years after painting this miniature. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

To have been scouted by Henry VIII, and to have acquired a starting salary more substantial than Holbein's, Levina Teerlinc must have finished her training several years prior, and had to have been working steadily in order to build up a reputation to recommend her (Harris, Nochlin, 102). As the records show, Teerlinc's annuity would continue almost every year until her death. After working for Henry VIII, Levina worked for his three children in succession: Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I.

Levina Teerlinc's Tudor patrons: Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. Picture acquired through Flickr courtesy of Inor19.

It is difficult to give Levina Teerlinc the attribution of works with any certainty, due to the fact that she did not sign her paintings. But, we do have copious references to her works and somewhat vague descriptions of her miniatures in court records. In 1556, Teerlinc gifted Queen Mary "as a New yaer gift a small picture of the 'trynitie'." In 1551, Teerlinc first painted Elizabeth Tudor, and upon her accession in 1558, she gave the newly crowned queen a miniature portrait of herself.

A portrait miniature of Princess Elizabeth Tudor circa 1550-51, attributed to Levina Teerlinc. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain.

Erna Auerbach, in her study of Nicholas Hilliard, concluded that the painting that is most likely the work of Teerlinc is the oval miniature known as "an Elizabethan maundy". The miniature, now in the collection of the Earl of Beauchamp, may in fact be the portrait recorded as Teerlinc's New Year's gift to Queen Elizabeth in 1563. The miniature in question is described as, "a Carde with the Queen's Matie [Majesty] and many other personages".

An Elizabethan maundy, a portrait miniature likely by Levina Teerlinc. In the collection of the Earl of Beauchamp. Image public domain.

Teerlinc's talents were appreciated by her royal patrons, and in addition to her annuity she often received expensive presents, such as a pair of gilded spoons and a gilded salt-cellar. In 1566, Levina, her husband, and her son Marcus officially became English subjects. A decade later, after a consistent and lucrative career, Levina died in her house at Stepney (Harris, Nochlin, 102).

Teerlinc was the only Flemish miniature painter to be employed at the English court between 1546 and her death, and the only miniaturist of prominence recorded in England between the death of Hans Holbein the Younger in 1543, and the rise of Nicholas Hilliard in the 1570's (Harris, Nochlin, 102).

In addition to "an Elizabethan maundy" and the other aforementioned paintings described in court records, there are a few existing miniatures of which Teerlinc is the likely artist; however, Simone Bergman's attributions given to Teerlinc in 1934 have since been proven to be the works of Hilliard and Issac Oliver. The period between when Teerlinc moved to England (1546) and Hilliard signed his first miniature portrait (1560) is a critical time to study, in order to identify Teerlinc's works, as she was the only significant miniature artist active in the court during this time (Harris, Nochlin, 103).

This miniature of Queen Elizabeth I receiving foreign ambassadors could also be the work of Teerlinc. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain.

The miniature portrait of Katherine Grey, Countess of Hertford was likely painted by Levina Teerlinc, as well as a miniature portrait of Mary Dudley, Lady Sidney; there is also another portrait, one of an unknown woman, that could have also been painted by her. A miniature in Welbeck Abbey of Elizabeth I in her state robes could also be by Teerlinc. The Welbeck miniature includes a stunning detail: Queen Elizabeth's scepter in the portrait is encrusted with a real diamond!

A portrait miniature of Katherine Grey, Countess of Hertford that is attributed to Levina Teerlinc. Painted between 1555-60. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Like Hans Eworth and William Scrots before her, Levina Teerlinc is a prominent but somewhat mysterious 16th century figure, only recently being researched and understood. Until we make more definitive attributions of portraiture to Teerlinc, and until we fill in the missing information about events in her life, we can at least appreciate this woman as "the most important miniature artist active in England between Holbein and Hilliard" (Harris, Nochlin, 102). Though Hilliard asserted his opinion that "none should medle with limning but gentleman alone", this female artist at the Tudor court had a longer career than most of her colleagues, and she was often paid better, too!

Sources

Sutherland-Harris, Ann, and Linda Nochlin. Women Artists: 1550-1950. Los Angeles: Museum 
     Associates of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1976. Print. 

Simon, Benninck. Self-portrait. 1558. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England. Web. 
     6 November 2012.

Teerlinc, Levina. Katherine Grey, Countess of Hertford. 1555-60. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England. 
     Web. 6 November 2012.

On This Day in Elizabethan History: Queen Elizabeth Visits the Royal Mint

A miniature, most likely of Queen Elizabeth, by court painter Leevina Teerlinc. The painting is dated between 1560-65. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain.

On this day in Elizabethan history, 1561 Queen Elizabeth I visited the Royal Mint at the Tower of London. Naturally, new gravel was brought in for the occasion, to cover the path that the Queen would be walking on! 

To find out more about the Royal Mint in Tudor times, visit the Royal Mint's Henry VIII page.

Elizabethan Fact of the Day: Easter in Elizabethan Times

Happy Easter!

If you celebrate Easter, we wish you a happy day filled with friends, family, and faith.

And because I never miss an opportunity to tie anything to Queen Elizabeth I, I would like to share with you some information on the Elizabethan Easter....

The celebration of Easter is the most important feast day in the calender of the Elizabethan Church, also known as the Anglican church. Just like today, Easter was a "floating" holiday in the 16th century, and could occur on a Sunday in either March or April.

By the time Elizabeth was on the throne, Easter resided on the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurred on or after March 21st. This means that Easter could fall anywhere between March 22nd and April 25th during Elizabeth's reign (Wagner, 93-94).

Proceeding the actual feast day of Easter was 40 days of Lent, a period of fasting and abstinence from a variety of forms of merriment. Lent was, and still is intended as a time for reflection of Christ's sacrifice on the cross for our sins. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, and concludes with the week before Easter, appropriately titled "Easter Week" or "Holy Week". Easter Week begins on Palm Sunday. Holy Week concludes with Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, all of which were observed retaining some Catholic traditions (Wagner, 94). Queen Elizabeth I herself continued the royal tradition of having a Maundy Thursday rendezvous with the common people, and the annual event was commemorated in the miniature below:



An Elizabethan Maundy, a miniature of Queen Elizabeth observing the tradition of a Maundy with the common people. The miniature is by Elizabethan female court painter Leevina Teerlinc. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain.


The Easter Sunday service was one of the three times in a year that Anglican church-goers took communion; the others were Christmas and Whitsun. Whitsun was the feast of Pentecost, which fell in either May or June. After attending church, the Elizabethans would partake in extravagant feasting celebrations.

Since we know that by Queen Elizabeth's reign Easter had acquired some secular customs, the Elizabethans, like modern Christians, were celebrating with decorated eggs and other pagan-derived symbols from ancient Anglo-Saxon culture (Wagner, 94). Though we can say with surety that the Queen herself probably did not participate in any sort of an egg-hunt!

Sources: 

Wagner, John A. The Historical Dictionary of the Elizabethan World. Print.

(Pages 93-94.)

For further reading on Elizabethan religious customs, please see: 

Bonfires and Bells: National Memory and the Protestant Calender in Elizabethan and Stuart England by David Cressy

ALSO: On this Day in Elizabethan History, Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth I's spymaster died in 1590. But because this year this weekend is Easter Weekend, and every year ever-after April 6th will be the death of Sir Francis Walsingham, we will write a mini-bio on him and his achievements next year!

A detail of a 16th century portrait of Sir Francis Walsingham, whom Queen Elizabeth called her "moor", due to his swarthy complexion. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain.

In the meantime, to learn more about Walsingham's life and work, please read:

Her Majesty's Spymaster: Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Walsingham, and the Birth of Modern Espionage by Stephen Budiansky.

Mr. Budiansky is an author who specializes in military and intelligence history. We own this book and highly recommend it!

Elizabethan Fact Of The Day: Protecting the Queen

Queen Mary I had reigned directly before her sister Elizabeth I for a brief and disastrous five years, bequeathing her a bankrupt Treasury, along with a myriad of other problems. One of the ways Elizabeth cut costs and thus expedited replenishing the Treasury was by choosing not to keep a standing army during her reign. The costs of employing a standing army were astronomical, as the powers on the Continent who kept them had demonstrated. Standing army's with nothing to do also bred anxiety in the population, especially when they caused disturbances of the peace, as they were known to do. The immediate safety of England fell to the local magistrates, who were entrusted with ensuring peace within their own districts (Palliser). And the overall safety of Elizabeth and her realm would be ensured by a network of spy's and informants, overseen by Elizabeth's "spymaster" Sir Francis Walsingham.

A detail of a 16th century portrait of Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth's "spymaster".Walsingham's ability to protect the Queen was never doubted, although sometimes she greatly disliked his methods. Elizabeth nicknamed him her "Moor". Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain.

Queen Elizabeth prided herself on being accessible to all of her subjects; her practice of walking amongst throngs of people when she exited and entered buildings, often stopping to speak with them, was something that made her Councillors fear for her, and they often told her so. On Elizabeth's progresses throughout her realm, which we know she very much enjoyed, she would always stop and speak with villagers and tradesmen, without a retinue of guards to protect her. Like her mother Queen Anne Boleyn had done so many years before, Good Queen Bess would distribute coins in exchange for poesy's of meadow flowers from village children (Denny).

An Elizabethan Maundy, a miniature by female court painter Leevina Teerlinc depicting Queen Elizabeth I meeting with her subjects. Image public domain.

Elizabeth had good faith in her subjects, and they in her. These were her people, who along with God she believed had preserved her and guided her to become Queen of England. Unlike her father, whose paranoia in the latter half of his reign compelled him to order the locks of his personal apartments changed every time he moved his court to a new castle, Elizabeth would remain tangible to her people up until her death at age 69 in 1603.

Queen Elizabeth used her image (clothes, appearance of perpetual youth due to heavy makeup) and the good faith she demonstrated with her people  to build nationalism and loyalty to the crown. This "Cult of Gloriana" made Elizabeth semi-divine, and thus her people invincible.


A painting of Queen Elizabeth en route to the wedding of Lady Anne Russell, c.1600. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain.

Elizabethan Quote of the Day: An Excerpt From "The Faerie Queen"

Today I would like to share with you an excerpt from one of the most famous literary works composed to honor Queen Elizabeth I, Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene. (Note: some of the contemporary spelling had been retained to preserve the authenticity of the verse)

A picture of Queen Elizabeth receiving foreign ambassadors, by Elizabeth's female court painter Leevina Teerlinc. In my opinion, Teerlinc has an Edward Gorey like style! The practice of painting the walls in the court rooms is sumptuously brought to life in the Helen Mirren HBO miniseries Elizabeth I.

"High above all a cloth of State was spred,

And a rich throne, as bright as sunny day,

On whiche sate most brave embellished

With  royall robes and gorgeous array,

A mayden queene, that shone as Titans ray,

In glistring gold, and peerelesse pretious stones

Yet her bright blazing beautie did assay

To dim the brightnesse of her glorius throne,

As envying her selfe, that too exceeding shone."