#IBmakingart

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/35.89.4/  

The artist of this piece was Nicholas Hilliard. When looking into this piece the only title I found was "Portrait of a Young Man, Probably Robert Devereux (1566–1601), Second Earl of Essex". It was made in 1588 in the medium of Vellum laid on card. The size is 1 5/8 x 1 3/8 in. The piece originated in London.

The subject of the piece is believed to be Robert Devereux, the Second Earl of Essex. This could be considered a new treatment of the classic portrait because it is a miniature version. This is different and unique because the artist had to be trained to create such small works. The artist uses the royal blue color to adequately contrast the subject of the work. This color choice allows the subject to be prominent in the work. The royal blue that is used in the work can symbolize superiority, which accounts for its "royal" name. In fact, the color's name was first coined for a competition to make Queen Charlotte a dress. This formal element of color communicates the meaning of stature and class that the work conveys. It also reinforces the ideals of the time that people of the high class should be preserved.

This work conveys the social values of the time in which it was created. It does this by illustrating the class system. This is because the person pictured was believed to be part of the nobility at the time. In my eyes, it is believable that someone of high stature would have had this done because it is a luxury that not many at the time had. This piece is rather old and so are its values. Today, at least in the Western world, there is not as large of a gap between the lower and upper classes. This is substituted by the middle class, which was created by the creation of new lines of work. When looking at this piece, many would view it as archaic because of the vast changes in the modern world.