The Ermine Portrait, 1585, by Nicholas Hilliard. This portrait can be

The Sieve Portrait, c1583, by
Quentin Metsys the Younger.
Elizabeth is portrayed with a
sieve in a number of portraits.
This one is referred to as either
the 'Sieve Portrait' or 'The
Siena Portrait', to distinguish it
from the others. The sieve is a
symbol of chastity and purity,
originally taken from Petrarch's
Triumph of Chastity. In the
story, a Roman Vestal Virgin
proves her purity by carrying
water in a sieve and not
spilling one drop. The sieve
thus reinforces Elizabeth's
image as 'the virgin queen'.
The rim of the sieve is
inscribed: A TERRA ILBEN /
AL DIMORA IN SELLA' (The
good falls to the ground while
the bad remains in the saddle).
The figure to the right of
Elizabeth is possibly her
courtier
Sir
Christopher
Hatton. His white hind badge
is just barely visible on the
figure's cloak. If so, then it is
possible
that
Hatton
commissioned this portrait; he
may have met Metsys during a
trip to Antwerp in 1573. The
roundels behind the queen
depict the story of Aeneas and
Dido, with the queen compared
to Aeneas. Like the classical
hero, she has faced temptation
(marriage) and now leads a
powerful nation. The globe
behind the queen continues
this theme. Ships are crossing
west on the globe, possibly an
allusion to England's conquest
of the New World. TVTTO
VEDO ET MOLTO MANCHA
('I see all and much is lacking')
is inscribed on the globe. The
portrait itself is inscribed:
STANCHO RIPOSO & RIPO
SATO AFFA NNO ('Weary I
am and, having rested, still am
weary.')
The Ermine Portrait, 1585,
by Nicholas Hilliard. This
portrait can be viewed at
Hatfield House. Why is
Elizabeth seated with an
ermine? It was the symbol
of royalty; and, if you look
closely at the animal, you
can see the gold crown it
wears.
The
crown
symbolizes majesty and
purity.
As
for
the
bejewelled black gown and
background - black and
white were the queen's
favourite colours. Also, the
deep,
dark
colour
reinforces the symbolic
gravity of the painting.In
this
portrait,
Elizabeth
wears the famous 'Three
Brothers' jewel - a gem
made of three diamonds
set in a triangle around a
pointed diamond. It was
one of her most treasured
jewels. The sword of state
rests on the table beside
the queen and symbolizes
justice; she also holds an
olive branch to symbolize
peace.
The
Armada
Portrait,
c1588, unknown artist.
Symbolism is rife in this
famous image, of which
there are three versions.
Once again, pearls symbolic
of
purity
decorate the queen's head
and gown. Next to her right
arm is an imperial crown,
and her right hand rests
upon a globe - specifically,
her fingers rest upon the
Americas. In 1587, a year
before this portrait was
made, the first English child
was born in Virginia. The
crown and globe tell us that
Elizabeth is mistress of
land and sea. In the
background of the painting
are scenes from the defeat
of the Spanish Armada in
1588. It was the pivotal
event of the latter half of
Elizabeth's reign and a
great triumph for the
English. The queen is
wearing a pearl necklace
given her by the earl of
Leicester; it was Robert
Dudley’s last gift to the
queen.
The Ditchley Portrait, c1592,
by Marcus Gheeraerts the
Younger. This is the largest
surviving full-length portrait of
Queen Elizabeth I, despite
having 7.5 cm cut from each
side. It is also one of the
earliest
works
by
Gheeraerts. In
1592,
Elizabeth's former champion,
Sir Henry Lee, sought to regain
her
favour
with
lavish
entertainment at his home in
Ditchley, Oxfordshire. He had
retired from court two years
earlier, having offended the
queen by living openly with his
mistress. He commissioned
this portrait to commemorate
Elizabeth's
visit
and
forgiveness.
The
queen
stands upon a map of England,
with one foot resting near
Ditchley. As a result of the
cutting mentioned above, the
sonnet on the 'Ditchley Portrait'
lacks the final word of each
line. It celebrates Elizabeth's
divine powers; a jewelled
celestial sphere hangs from
the queen's left ear, signifying
her command over nature
itself. The sphere had been
Lee's emblem when he fought
as Elizabeth's champion in the
annual Accession Day tilts.
The background of this portrait
appears odd - it is split
between blue and sunny sky
on the left, and black and
stormy sky on the right. This
continues the theme of royal
authority over nature. Tudor /
Renaissance fashion buffs
should note that the queen
wears her lovely gown over a
wheel farthingale. This style
briefly
continued
after
Elizabeth's
death,
largely
because James I's wife, Anne
of Denmark, wore some of
Elizabeth's gowns in portraits
painted by, among others,
Gheeraerts.
The Rainbow Portrait,
c1600, by Isaac Oliver.
This portrait can be viewed
at Hatfield House. Oliver
was a pupil of Elizabeth's
favourite court painter,
Nicholas Hilliard. It has the
most
elaborate
and
inventive iconography of
any
Tudor
portrait.
Elizabeth's
gown
is
embroidered with English
wildflowers, thus allowing
the queen to pose in the
guise of Astraea, the
virginal heroine of classical
literature. Her cloak is
decorated with eyes and
ears, implying that she
sees and hears all. Her
headdress is an incredible
design decorated lavishly
with pearls and rubies and
supports her royal crown.
The pearls symbolize her
virginity; the crown, of
course, symbolizes her
royalty. Pearls also adorn
the transparent veil which
hangs over her shoulders.
Above her crown is a
crescent-shaped
jewel
which alludes to Cynthia,
the goddess of the moon. A
jewelled
serpent
is
entwined along her left
arm, and holds from its
mouth
a
heart-shaped
ruby. Above its head is a
celestial
sphere.
The
serpent
symbolizes
wisdom; it has captured the
ruby,
which
in
turn
symbolizes the queen's
heart. In other words, the
queen's
passions
are
controlled by her wisdom.
The
celestial
sphere
echoes this theme; it
symbolizes wisdom and the
queen's royal command
over nature.
The
Coronation
Portrait,
c1600,
unknown artist; copy
of a lost original. This
portrait can be viewed
at the NPG. This is a
copy of the portrait
made
to
commemorate
Elizabeth's accession
in 1558. It is a
stunning and beautiful
image. Elizabeth is
lavishly dressed and
holds the traditional
orb and sceptre. Her
hair is loose, as befits
her unmarried state,
and its colour is
particularly
striking
against the white of
her skin. And, once
again,
Elizabeth's
much-admired hands
are
prominently
displayed as they rest
upon the symbols of
her authority.
The Peace Portrait,
1580-5,
by
Marcus
Gheeraerts the Elder. In
this portrait, the queen is
the harbinger of peace.
She holds an olive
branch in her left hand
and a sheathed sword
lies at her feet. She is
possibly wearing the
same headdress, collar
and girdle from the
'Ermine Portrait'. Also,
both gowns are 'Polish
style' with froggings.
From the date, we can
assume the symbolism
refers to the turbulent
situation
in
the
Netherlands.
This
is
the
only
definitively
identified
painting by Gheeraerts
the Elder; it is certainly
his only surviving oil
portrait. It is named 'The
Peace
Portrait'
for
obvious reasons, but
there is no widelyaccepted title.
The
Pelican
Portrait,
c1575,
attributed
to
Nicholas Hilliard.
This
portrait is held by the
National Portrait Gallery
(NPG), London. It is not
on display. Along with
Hilliard's equally famous
'Phoenix Portrait', this
picture
shows
the
growing stylization of
images of the queen.
Such stylization reached
its
apogee
in
the
beautiful
'Rainbow
Portrait' below. There is
a closed imperial crown
over each shoulder. The
crown is on top of both a
rose (on the left) and a
fleur-de-lys
(on
the
right.) These represent
her dynastic claims to
both
England
and
France. The Pelican
pendant on her breast
symbolizes charity and
redemption.
It
represents the queen's
selfless love of her
subjects.
How?
According to legend, the
pelican pricked its own
breast
to
feed
its
children with the blood.
Elizabeth wore a pelican
jewel in several state
portraits to remind the
English of her equally
selfless love