A gentleman, in black silk doublet with black buttons, high white ruff and black skull cap

The present miniature by John Hoskins is a fine example of his early style of painting, characteristic of the techniques employed by the leading artists of the time, namely Nicholas Hilliard and Isaac Oliver. The artist's monogram took on different forms during his long career, and the motif on the present portrait shows that it was executed during the 1620s. Other miniatures by Hoskins bearing the same monogram include a portrait of James I and an Unknown Lady in the Victoria and Albert Museum (see J. Murdoch, 17th Century Miniatures in the Collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1997, nos. 21 and 22, a list of the artist's monograms p. 340.