-
1 of 253523 objects
Elizabeth I (1533-1603) c. 1580-1603
Oil on panel | 58.7 x 42.7 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 403451
British School, 16th century
Elizabeth I (1533-1603) c. 1580-1603
-
This is a contemporary portrait showing Elizabeth I towards the end of her life. It may have been based on an image taken from life. Elizabeth I is shown wearing a richly jewelled dress, head-dress and veil. She holds in her hand the badge of the Order of the Garter, the 'Lesser George', which is suspended from her shoulders on a blue ribbon. The sleeves of her dress are embroidered with roses, her corsage with roses and fleurs-de-lis. The prominence of the Garter badge is almost certainly deliberate and may be included in order to flatter the Queen for her dedication to maintaining the high standards of this order of chivalry.
Provenance
Thought to be the portrait recorded in the Queen's Dressing Room at Kensington Palace in 1732; first definitively recorded in the Presence Chamber at Kensington in 1818 (no 29)
-
Medium and techniques
Oil on panel
Measurements
58.7 x 42.7 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)
72.2 x 56.55 x 8.5 cm (frame, external)