Levina Teerlinc
Levina Teerlinc (or Teerling) was a Flemish portrait artist active during the Northern Renaissance who lived from c. 1510 to 1576. She is most remembered for her paintings made in the Tudor courts of Henry VIII, and his children, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. Besides being known for her court paintings, she had even more status serving as a gentlewoman for Mary I and as a gentlewoman of the privy chamber for Elizabeth I.
Teerlinc was born in Bruges in present day Belgium to the well-known illuminator and miniaturist artist, Simon Bening, of the Ghent-Bruges School. Her grandfather was also an illuminator who worked for royalty. Illuminators were those that painted the illustrations within illuminated manuscripts. As the eldest of five girls, Teerlinc was likely trained as an illuminator by her father early on in her life so that she could assume the family business.
By the 1530s, Teerlinc was achieving notoriety for her talent as a miniature artist. This type of art was well-used by the royals of the day, who often gave out miniature portraits of themselves to people in their favor. Even her art peers were impressed with her talent, as detailed in historic writings. In 1545, Levina Teerlinc married her husband, George Teerlinc, in 1545. By 1546, she had moved to England along with her husband at the request of Henry VIII. The well-known king of England was looking for a new court painter after his previous court painter, Hans Holbein the Younger, died from the Black Death.
Interestingly, even as a woman, Teerlinc made quite a bit more money as the court painter than Holbein had during his tenure there. After her stint as court painter, Teerlinc served in the households of both Mary I and Elizabeth I. Teerlinc is credited with inventing the oval shape for the miniature portrait. Prior to the oval shape, these tiny portraits came only in rectangular shapes.
Though her work was well-documented in writings and well-received by the court, there are no paintings that survive today that can definitely be attributed to Teerlinc. She rarely signed her work. However, there are some pieces that are attributed to her based on their place of origin and the fashion style of the sitters depicted, in addition to other relative dating methods. Levina Teerlinc remained in London until her death in 1576. After her death, her husband returned to Bruges where he remained until his death in 1580.
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