Miniature

Princess Elizabeth, daughter of James I of England, married Frederick V, Elector Palatine of the Rhine (1596-1632), in 1613. The couple became King and Queen of Bohemia in 1619, but were exiled in 1621. They became a causecélèbre in Europe. Elizabeth used miniatures as propaganda weapons, to keep the couple in the minds and hearts of their supporters. She lived in exile mostly in The Hague, The Netherlands. At her court she employed English miniaturists such as Alexander Cooper (around 1609-?1658). The couple's grandson became George I of England (ruled 1714-1727), the first of the Hanoverian dynasty.

This portrait of Princess Elizabeth is a version of a miniature painted to celebrate her marriage to Frederick in 1613. All the known versions of this miniature are by Isaac Oliver (born about 1558, died 1617), or follow his style. But Nicholas Hilliard (possibly born in 1547, died 1619) was miniature painter to Elizabeth's father James I. It is therefore possible that the original was by Hilliard.