Scratching beneath the canvas of Elizabeth I

Key ideas

How did Elizabeth I’s costume change in portraiture over her reign?

Cody,Marilee. Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. ( online) Available: http://www.marileecody.com/eliz1-images.html ( 3/6/12)     

• As Queen her image progressed to being a fully fledged aristocrat, in contrast to her previous sober protestant girl costume. She can be seen wearing expensive jewels and gowns. 
• As an adolescent she dressed very severely, a style of dress absent in Tudor Court at that time.
• She wished to appear prematurely composed in portraiture. This reflected her scholarly nature as a youth always carrying books and having a pragmatic air, an image of chastity and modesty. She dressed like this to distance herself from her cousin Mary who dressed lavishly.This can be seen in one of the very first portraits done of Elizabeth by William Scrots when Elizabeth was 13. 
• Upon becoming queen in 1558, Elizabeth's costume progressed to being more rich and fabric and material. The Darnley portrait  of Elizabeth in 1575 illustrates this, she can be seen in a gown decorated with expensive brocade and wearing a necklace of semi precious jewels. Her costume as a queen exuded wealth.

Did allusions to Elizabeth I in portraiture transition over her reign?

Wikipedia contributers. Diana by Floris,Frans.(online).Available: http://www.wikigallery.org/wiki/painting_219900/(attr.-to)-Floris,-Frans/Diana (3/6/12)

•  They did not. Elizabeth’s allusions to famous virginal figures stayed with her throughout her reign as it was always a prominent issue. She was continually linked to the Virgin Mary, Diana and Cynthia ( moon goddesses) in order to constantly plague the public with the idea her virginity was acceptable and best for the well being of England.
• Before she ascended the throne she was portrayed as Diana in 1560 by Frans Floris. ‘Diana’ the chaste moon goddess recognisable by her attributes of crescent moon, bow and arrows and hunting dogs. The portrait compared her to a deity which made her virginity look renowned. 
• Even at the end of her reign Elizabeth was being alluded to famous virgins. This can be seen in 'The Rainbow portrait' by Isaac Oliver in 1600. Elizabeth was portrayed as Queen Astrea, a just virgin of the Golden Age from classical literature.

Was Elizabeth's mortality accurately reflected in portraiture throughout her reign?

Cody,Marilee. Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. ( online) Available: http://www.marileecody.com/eliz1-images.html ( 3/6/12)

• At the start of her reign her age was portrayed accurately . We can see this in the 'Elizabeth I coronation portrait' done by an unknown artist in 1558 as she rightly looked very young and virginal. However as she aged her image in portraiture did not. This was due to the aim of Elizabeth portraiture was not to show her as ‘real’ with true appearance or character but just portray an image of her that makes her appear confident and regal. This inaccurate portrayal of aging is shown in the Rainbow portrait by Isaac Oliver in 1660 above. When this was painted Elizabeth was in her late sixties yet any visible sign of aging is not present. Aging showed weakness and bowing to the influence of time, characteristics Elizabeth did not posses. 

To what extent was Elizabeth's portraiture propaganda throughout her reign?

Cody,Marilee. Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. ( online) Available: http://www.marileecody.com/eliz1-images.html ( 3/6/12)

• Elizabeth being portrayed in only plain colours like black and white with flowing hair and no makeup before she ascended the throne was a deliberate way to cultivate the protestant image. An example of this is the Clopton portrait of Elizabeth I in 1560 where she is dressed plainly in monochromatic colours.
• Her portrayal in Mary's reign made her seem like a modest and virtuous protestant, a step away from the lavish nature of Catholicism.
•  She was also portrayed as ‘alone, majestic and imperial’ at the start of her reign in portraiture in order to influence the public as she ascended the throne. This can be seen in the Kitchener portrait above (1589-1590). She has no man by her side and is heavily adorned in pearls and rubies sign of virginity. She looks regal with her hair piled atop her head and decorated with a majestic ruff on top her dress. The portrait was an attempt to sway the public to believe that Elizabeth’s virginity should not call her leadership into question. 
• In recent years historians are now unsure if the portraiture of her as virgin queen was propaganda or a genuine celebration of her reign
•  It worked better than other forms of propaganda as the majority of people couldn’t read in the Victorian era so messages were best communicated pictorially.

Did Elizabeth's portraiture suceed at changing the status quo over her virginity in the length of her reign?

Cody,Marilee. Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. ( online) Available: http://www.marileecody.com/eliz1-images.html ( 3/6/12)

•  It did not succeed at changing the status quo however it did work to alleviate the amount of pressure for Elizabeth to find a successor as it tried to populate the idea that virginity was something to be revered not scorned at. 
• Men and the Privy Council dictated the morals of society at the time  (1558-1603) with their strong views. However, portraiture would have contributed to society’s remission over her virginity.
• Portraits celebrating her virginity and made people at least understand that virginity was a mediated decision to not draw England into other countries political affairs and avoid decreasing her popularity.

Did motifs in her portraiture reflect current struggles of the time?


Motifs used were often alluding to problems England had at that point in time.

Cody,Marilee. Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. ( online) Available: http://www.marileecody.com/eliz1-images.html ( 3/6/12)

•  Example: Miniature of Elizabeth I painted by Nicholas Hilliard 1572 at the start of her reign . Elizabeth is shown as having white roses on her dress this reflected the anxiety surrounding her virginity as she ascended the throne. White rose symbolised purity associated with Virgin Mary.
•  Also can be seen in Elizabeth I : red chalk drawing in 1574 by Frederic Zuccaro.  This was also made at the start of her reign with a phoenix  a bird which is known for chastity as it is self-perpetuating. This confronted virginity issues at the time.
•  Another example was when England had commenced their battle against the Spanish Armada, Elizabeth can be seen in the Rainbow portrait where defeated Spanish ships lie in the background. Elizabeth is wearing a gown decorated with a gross amount of pearls indicating that her role a virgin queen won them the war.

    Were the people that painted always her favourites throughout her reign?

NDB staff. Isaac Oliver.(online). Available: http://www.nndb.com/people/066/000102757/ ( 3/6/12)

• People like Isaac Oliver and Nicholas Hilliard were in a sense her favourites for portraiture as only people who were commissioned to paint her portrait could. The fact that Isaac was Hilliard’s pupil conjures up the notion that Elizabeth employed people from a tight circle.
• Non-commissioned painters painted other pictures of her but these were based on patterns painted by licensed painters. There were only a small number of patterns. Elizabeth rarely sat for her portrait. Privy Council ordered destruction of non-commissioned and unseemly paintings in 1596. 

How did the materials her portraiture was made of reflect the economy of the state?

Cody,Marilee. Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. ( online) Available: http://www.marileecody.com/eliz1-images.html ( 3/6/12)

• At the start of her reign she was often painted on wood as inheriting the throne meant that she inherited debt, therefore she had to be thrifty with her portraiture. For example Portrait with verse c1566. Painting her image on wood showed her protestant ties to not spend extravagantly. However as she aged and her image of a modest protestant dissipated so did the materials she was painted on such as canvas seen in Elizabeth I the Darnley portrait.
• Frederic Zuccaro portrayed  in numerous sketches on paper at the start of her reign. The paper material it was drawn on indicates frugality.
• As the queen reached the end of her reign she was painted more and more on rich oils and canvas. Can be seen in Rainbow portrait by Isaac Oliver. She was in her sixties and was less worried about the economy as people were better off at this point and living conditions had improved.