Art historians have discovered a rare miniature painting by Nicholas Hilliard, the official painter to Queen Elizabeth I, which may be linked to William Shakespeare. The painting, dating back to the late 16th century, bears a scratched red heart on its reverse, suggesting unrequited love and adding a mysterious dimension to the relationship between Southampton and Shakespeare, according to a report in the Times Literary Supplement on September 5.

The painting depicts a jewel-adorned young man with long curls, believed to be the earliest portrait of Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, Shakespeare’s friend and patron, and possibly the “Fair Youth” referenced in Shakespeare’s sonnets.

These miniatures are painted on very thin vellum, mounted on a playing card for firm support, but the back of this painting revealed a red heart obscured with black in the shape of a spear or leaf, possibly symbolizing a broken heart.

Dr. Elizabeth Goldring, honorary reader at the University of Warwick and author of Hilliard’s biography, told The Guardian: “You always know there’s a chance of evidence on the back or hidden inside the frame, but rarely is there. In this case, there was – and it was very exciting.”

Emma Rutherford, founder of Limner Fine Art Consultancy, added: “To get to the back of the painting like this, it must have been removed from a jewel-encrusted locket. It’s an extraordinary discovery, a 400-year-old mystery.”

The painting may have been a gift from Southampton to Shakespeare, later returned, possibly in 1598, the year Shakespeare married. Shakespeare had dedicated his poems Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece to Southampton, affirming: “The love I dedicate to your happiness without end.”

Joint research with Professor Sir Jonathan Bate, a Shakespeare expert, suggests the obscured heart with a spear resembles Shakespeare’s family crest, which included a spear as a pun on his name, although details of his interactions with Southampton remain uncertain.

Goldring says: “I think the discovery of this painting will reignite debate about the nature of the relationship between Shakespeare and his patron Southampton, including the possibility that he inspired some of the sonnets.”

The painting shows Southampton with distinctive beauty and androgynous features, typical of the late Elizabethan court. The young man is shown holding his long chestnut curls to his heart, a rare gesture for men of that era. His wrist is adorned with pearl bracelets, uncommon in male portraits though common in female ones.

Rutherford noted: “At first glance, viewers might struggle to determine if the subject is male or female. It is one of the earliest homoerotic portraits in England.”

Researchers believe the painting dates to the early 1590s when Southampton was in his late teens, before becoming Shakespeare’s patron. Every detail, from the long hair to the bracelets and the heart-touching gesture, points to a very intimate and personal image.

The painting is owned by a family connected to Southampton but they were unaware of Hilliard’s hand or the work’s significance, having kept it in a box for a long time. They contacted Goldring and Rutherford after discovering another Hilliard painting.

Rutherford said: “This has never been published or publicly displayed before.”

The discovery opens a new window onto the world of early Elizabethan art and may also reveal a mysterious aspect of Shakespeare’s life and his relationship with one of his greatest patrons.