![]() ![]() Gloriana: The Portraits of Queen Elizabeth I. Roy Strong has also produced a book that looks entirely at the portraits of the Queen: In recent years, however, his ideas have received a lot of criticism, and is it an ongoing debate as to whether Elizabeth's reputation as "The Virgin Queen" was due to a deliberate propaganda campaign, or whether it was a genuine tribute to the successful and popular Queen by her people. This view was advanced by Roy Strong in his influential book The Cult of Elizabeth. The portraits were very much a part of what has been called "The Cult of Elizabeth", which is essentially the idea that the fossilising of the celebration of Elizabeth as "The Virgin Queen", the sacred one, the deliverer of the people, was very much a propaganda campaign by the government to win the loyalty of the people. The combination of the Renaissance and the Queen's almost mythical popularity resulted in portraits that are full of symbolism. The beginnings of this can be seen in the reign of Henry VII, as his portraits are of much better quality than his medieval predecessors. The Renaissance had brought with it a whole new attitude to painting, and techniques were becoming more sophisticated, resulting in more life like, elaborate, paintings. The style of the Queen's portraits also changed because of the new painting techniques that the artists were developing. Poor ones, or those that did not show the Queen at her best, would not do that. She wanted only good portraits produced to reflect her regal status, and also because some people might never get to see her in person, and so it was vitally important that the portrait impressed them. This was not entirely governed by vanity, as has been suggested in the past, but because the Queen was very conscious of her public image. If the Queen was not happy with a portrait, then she would have it destroyed. Only painters commissioned by the Queen were allowed to paint her - such as Nicholas Hilliard or Isaac Oliver - but other artists often copied the final paintings, which is why there are sometimes several copies of a portrait varying in quality and likeness. However, as the Queen's popularity grew, there was an increasing request for portraits, and so more and more were produced. Noblemen or women also wore these as symbols of loyalty. Very small (known as miniatures) and were worn in jewellery. Many portraits of the Queen are instantly recognizable, for she would usually be painted wearing a crown, showing that she was the Queen,Īs well as having other symbols of power in her paintings such as a sword of state. Her portrait still hangs in many of them today. Would have a portrait on display in their great houses as a symbol of loyalty to her. She was now the most important person in the land, and the nobility of England However, once she was Queen, paintings of her flourished. ![]() The brazen Anne Boleyn who died a traitor's death, was simply not important enough for there to be a great demand for her picture. Elizabeth, the "illegitimate" daughter of the king by May have been lost over the years, but in all probability very few were produced. See GALLERY for a selection of the Queen's most famous portraits.Īlthough there are few portraits of Elizabeth as princess, many portraits survive of her as Queen. ![]()
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