Society of Miniaturists

The Hilliard Society was formed by Sue Burton and miniaturist Rosalind Pierson and its inaugural exhibition was held in May 1982. At that time there were two British societies for contemporary miniaturists – the London based Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers and the Society of Miniaturists, (now merged with the British Society of Painters and the British Watercolour Society). The Hilliard Society was thus formed with the idea of offering an alternative for the rest of the country and now boasts an international membership of around 300. Based in the Somerset/Devon area it is fitting that this society is named in memory of Exeter born Nicholas Hilliard, the great Elizabethan miniaturist.