Elisabeth I, 1533~1603. :Rainbow, Pelican, Phoenix Portraits

The Pelican Portrait by Nicholas Hilliard. The pelican was thought to nourish its young with its own blood and served to depict Elizabeth as the "mother of the Church of England".^[51]

The Phoenix and the Pelican: two portraits of Elizabeth I, c.1575

The ‘Pelican’ portrait, Queen Elizabeth I
associated to Nicholas Hilliard,
Oil on panel
© Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

The ‘Phoenix’ portrait, Queen Elizabeth I
associated to Nicholas Hilliard
Oil on panel
NPG 190

These two portraits of Elizabeth I (1533-1603), recently examined for Making Art in Tudor Britain were painted when the queen was in her early forties, almost half way through her reign. They show the queen wearing remarkable pendants at her breast: one depicting a phoenix and the other a pelican (see details shown below).

Both emblems were regularly employed by the queen. The face pattern used for these portraits is similar to a miniature of the queen by Nicholas Hilliard (1547-1619) (see image below).

----

Elizabeth I
The "Darnley Portrait" of Elizabeth I (c. 1575)
Queen of England and Ireland  (more...)
Reign	17 November 1558 – 24 March 1603
Coronation	15 January 1559
Predecessors	Mary I and Philip
Successor	James I
Born	7 September 1533 Palace of Placentia, Greenwich, England
Died	24 March 1603 (aged 69) Richmond Palace, Surrey, England
Burial	28 April 1603 Westminster Abbey
House	Tudor
Father	Henry VIII of England
Mother	Anne Boleyn
Religion	Church of England

May 26 is #WorldRedheadDay! The English Tudor Queen, Elizabeth I, was very particular about her appearance and especially proud of her red hair. Her ladies in waiting are said to have spent around four hours a day on her makeup and clothing. Incidentally, in this famous portrait the Queen wears a wig – it was painted when she was in her late sixties, when she had long since turned grey.
Rainbow Portrait Elisabeth I, c. 1600-1602
attrib. Marcus Gerards the Younger or ……
查看更多