File talk:Nicholas Hilliard 008.jpg

Consider Southampton?

Shot in the dark:

The facial features, class status, and biological timing works for Henry WRIOTHESLEY, 3rd Earl of Southampton.

He was born in October 1573 if I recall correctly. This would have been an interesting time in his life. If the portrait is correctly dated to circa 1585-90 that would make the sitter between ages 12-17.

He was certainly a redhead with unruly hair and unusual hair styles; slightly feminine features; endless perhaps even narcissistic self confidence to flaunt all of the above with a perpetual twinkle in his eye, and a lifelong proclivity for breaking the rules and sometimes laws. A naughty party boy. Perhaps there is a hint of that starting already in this portrait?

He later made famous a long lock curling to the side. Perhaps there is a hint of that starting already in this portrait?

He was rumored to be homosexual as a young man (accused by junior nobles and soldiers of sleeping with or “messing around” with the Earl of Essex while on military campaign in Ireland, though it is possible that was character assassination as the war was going very badly and scapegoats may have been needed). He was rumored to be irresponsible and, once he inherited his money and estate, wasteful, and promiscuous. He and Essex AKA Robert DEVEREUX were later both convicted of treason versus Queen Elizabeth and sentenced to die. Essex was executed but Southampton was not, and later freed by James STUART when he became king of England; who later made promoted Southampton in various ways to include KG.

Overall, having looked at many portraits of Southampton and other sitters painted by Hilliard, I would feel comfortable tentatively suggesting this is Henry Wriothesley approximately aged 13-15 ie painted 1586-88. If there are any professionals or domain experts trained in this type of assessment or facial analysis, it is a worthy endeavour to attempt.

One possible reason the portrait lacks meta data or provenance is his parents were in utter disgrace or dead (his mother a notorious slut and his father a traitor lucky not to be executed, or much worse) and at this age, the young Earl had only a title but not yet any money, land, houses, or power. He was legally taken away from his mother and made a kind of convict-orphan as a Ward of the state, after his father died. He was legally a son of the Queen but in practice living with William Cecil (a dour Puritan, professional spy, de facto prime minister of England engaged in constant witch-hunting against real and imaginary enemies) and his son Robert (about whom all the same can also be said); and we know for sure Robert Cecil and Hilliard knew each other personally. Hilliard asked Cecil to employ his own son.

Lastly, perhaps a more precise dating may possible be attempted via the fetching hat alone? Presumably that style or noble fads are quite fleeting. 2600:4040:5AEF:B400:2FE8:EFAF:F994:B2AF (talk) 02:23, 8 August 2024 (UTC)