The Portraiture of Rowland Lockey (c.1566–1616): A Historical and Technical Examination

Applications are invited for an Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC DTP-funded Collaborative Doctoral Award at The University of Cambridge, in partnership with The National Trust. 

This fully-funded studentship is available from October 2025. Further details about the value of an Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC DTP award are available on the DTP’s studentships page. 

Closing date: 7 January 2025 (12:00 midday UK time) 

Painter, miniaturist and goldsmith Rowland Lockey (c.1565–1616) was part of an important network of artists, patrons and critics. A pupil of the English miniaturist Nicholas Hilliard (1547–1619), he was patronised by influential figures such as Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury (‘Bess of Hardwick’). By combining expertise in technical and archival/iconographical art history, this CDA offers an unparalleled opportunity for a student to define and interpret the work of this major Tudor/early Stuart artist. 

The National Trust possesses some of the most significant works by and attributed to Lockey, and this CDA is timed to take advantage of major projects (beginning in 2024 and running until 2026/27) to examine and compare works in its collections at Hardwick Hall and Nostell Priory. These projects will include the technical analysis in Cambridge’s Hamilton Kerr Institute of the most important painting attributed to Lockey: his copy of Hans Holbein the Younger’s lost Family of Sir Thomas More (c. 1527; copy c. 1592; Nostell Priory). This much-debated picture is one of the most iconic works in the Trust’s collection and a major attraction to the general public. One of the aims of this CDA studentship will be to undertake research on its attribution and iconography that will be the backbone of outreach and community engagement activity by the Trust. 

Pooling the conservation/analytical and academic resources of the National Trust and the University of Cambridge, this CDA studentship will provide unprecedented first-hand access to the largest collection of works attributed to Lockey, under the supervision of leading experts in the history of Tudor art.  This will embed the student in an interdisciplinary project between two leading institutions, developing a rich range of skills and professional development opportunities. 

The National Trust will provide training in the methods of technical analysis used for paintings in its collection, including object handling and conservation techniques, collections care and curating. It will provide on-site facilities for the technical examination of paintings and prioritised access to its archives and staff. The University of Cambridge will provide training in research methods and historiography. 

The student will undertake technical art-historical research on paintings attributed to Lockey in the collection of the National Trust, understanding the use of techniques such as MA-XRF, cross-section sampling, and X-radiography. Assisted by Trust curators they will research documentary evidence in the Hardwick archives of Lockey’s work for patrons such as Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury, and her son, William Cavendish. This will be complemented by research in The National Archives and other repositories, to build as full a picture as possible of Lockey’s career. The archival and technical-analytical data will be set within the relevant social and critical contexts of late Tudor/early Stuart patronage, antiquarianism, and artisanship.  

The dissertation will engage with recent scholarship identifying the oeuvre of Lockey, interrogating this in relation to the results of the technical analysis.  It will explore the nature and status of copying in the early modern period using Lockey as a case study. Depending on the particular interests of the student, it may further focus on areas such as artisanal networks, early art criticism in the vernacular, iconography in its historical context, and the technical data in relation to approaches to connoisseurship in British art. 

Supervision 

Professor Alexander Marr FSA, Professor of Renaissance and Early Modern Art, University of Cambridge 

Rebecca Hellen, Senior Paintings Conservator, National Trust 

The Cambridge supervisor is a leading expert in the history of Tudor and early Stuart art, including Hans Holbein the Younger and his legacy. He recently published on the Nostell Priory picture and has a major monograph forthcoming on Holbein. He has a long track-record of doctoral supervision, including collaboration with external partners (most recently, a successfully completed CDA with the National Portrait Gallery on early Stuart artist Peter Oliver). 

The National Trust supervisors bring decades of experience in the study, conservation and technical analysis of Tudor and Stuart paintings.  The student will have outstanding opportunities to gain experience not only in academic research but also in collections-based research, conservation and curating.   

How to Apply

We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds who have an interest in the field of Tudor Portraiture. Applicants should meet the eligibility criteria for Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC studentships.
Should you have any questions, or for an informal discussion about how you might approach the CDA project, you are welcome to contact Rebecca Hellen at rebecca.hellen@nationaltrust.org.uk, and Prof. Alexander Marr, Professor of Renaissance and Early Modern Art, University of Cambridge at ajm300@cam.ac.uk

You should apply to the PhD by 7 January 2025 (midday, UK time), indicate your interest in being considered for an Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC DTP studentship and submit a completed copy of the OOC DTP Application Form at the same time. Please see the advert on the Cambridge jobs site.