- In my first post I'd like to discuss a Flemish woman from the Renaissance period, a royal painter to the English court, who was earning more money than famous male artists of the time. What initially drew me to her was the fact that she was a miniaturist painter; again, quite an unusual artistic trade for a 16th century woman.
- The artist in question is Levina Teerlinc (born in Bruges, Belgium, 1510-1520 – died in London, 23rd June 1576), the eldest daughter of Simon Bening, the main illuminator of the Ghent-Bruges school, from whom she learned the craft. In 1539 she married George Teerlinc, and gave birth to one son.
- After the death of Hans Holbein the Younger, she was invited to the Tudor court by Henry VIII in 1545, and was actually paid more than many male artists that worked for him. Her annual salary was a very large amount at the time, at just over £40. After the death of Henry, she was in service to his children: Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I.
- In spite of the obvious appreciation of her work, there aren't many surviving works attributed to her without any doubt. She is rumoured to have trained Nicholas Hilliard, a goldsmith, in the methods of miniature portraiture; it is suspected that many of her works are incorrectly credited to Hilliard.
- There is documentary proof that she created paintings, presented as gifts to royalty at the New Year, which included: a small picture of the Holy Trinity presented to Queen Mary I in 1553; the numerous portraits of Elizabeth I (particularly the young Queen) as an individual or with other aristocrats, as well as the First Great Seal of Elizabeth I.
- It is said that she made significant contribution to miniature portraiture, which first appeared in the 1520's, at the French and English courts. What her exact merits were can't be said with certainty, because there are very few surviving works that are attributed to her. It is beyond question though, that she was highly regarded as an artist, being in the Tudor service for a long time, receiving handsome payment for her work, and tutoring another craftsman.
- Looking at her Portrait of Lady Katherine Grey (about 1555-60), some of Elizabeth's portraits attributed to her, and comparing her work to that of Hans Holbein and Nicholas Hilliard, it is noticeable that her colour palette is slightly brighter than of the others; also the face is emphasized, with heads looking slightly bigger than the rest of the body, and a lack of inscriptions.
- However, it is hard to analyse someone's work, especially using such a small sample of works that may not even be hers. Without further discoveries and more engagement by art history scholars, Levina's work will be lost in the dust. The fact that she is being mentioned when the Tudor family and miniature portraiture is talked about, tells me that she wouldn't be mentioned in vain, unless she was, in fact, an exquisite artist of her time, and one remarkable woman.
Portraits of Elizabeth I attributed to Levina Teerlinc
