Elizabethan Portraiture and Symbolism

What did you learn? What did you enjoy?

Elizabethan portraits were not only used to show the beauty of the sitter but also their status, which was shown through the use of objects included in the portraits as well. Elizabeth only sat for portraits on the odd occasion, so some artists would replicate her features and distribute them amongst other painters so that for a number of years she doesn't appear to age. The portraits of the Queen would be placed in not only the Houses of Nobility but also in those of the poorer citizens, this shows the love that her people had for her and how highly she was regarded. It was almost like propaganda, for the people to have these images of their Queen to show that she was 'one of the people' despite her nobility, furthermore she was only shown in her best light in the portraits as befitting the image that a Queen should have in the eyes of her subjects.

The objects placed in the portraits have great significance, with everything being placed in the portraits for specific reasons. Through analysing the portraits of Elizabeth it is obvious that certain symbols are featured on numerous occasions. For example; The Tudor Rose, it was symbolic of the Tudor dynasty, and also has religious connotations of being connected to the Virgin Mary. As Elizabeth was considered illegitimate in the eyes of a few, the Tudor Rose was used often to reinforce the fact that she was legitimate no matter what some of her critics said. Objects that symbolised virginity were often used in portraits of Elizabeth, particularly pearls, this was used to again reinforce the image that Elizabeth gave off as 'The Virgin Queen'.

It was really interesting to learn how each individual object placed in Tudor portraits would have this great significance. In modern society we would just assume by just looking at a picture that any object has been used because it 'looks nice' and may not have a greater symbolic significance when in actuality the artist has made these decisions for a reason.

What do you need to do next? How are you going to do it?

On the visit to the National Portrait Gallery I need to look at the Tudor portraits and find one that particularly stands out to me. Upon finding this I will look at not only the sitter in the portrait and how they are dressed, looking at whether their clothes do show status or contain anything of symbolic significance, but also looking at the objects around the sitter. Through looking at the background, and any objects that have been put there I will look and see if they have any symbolic significance again. If there is something that I am unsure as to why it has been placed there, I shall research (using the Internet and library) and look into the historical, social and political context of the time in which the portrait was painted. It will be interesting to see what objects the painter has decided to place in the portrait and the significance of them, as it will give me a greater insight into the time as well as the sitter themselves as the symbols will be significant to them as well.
I will also look and see how any modern portraits/photographs have taken this approach and included symbols that have any particular significance.