Reflection: Portraiture and Symbolism

During the Renaissance period, Queen Elizabeth's portraiture started to become more propaganda using new techniques to show sophistication. Portraits had specific items in them for different reasons. It is known that symbolism was used to translate to the majority of people who could not read and therefore looked at the items in the portraits to translate it. Here are just a few examples of what I have found.

The Rainbow Portrait c1600

In this portrait, one of the first things we notice is the rainbow in her hand. This suggests peace which also leads on to the motto, 'non sine sol iris' (no rainbow without the sun). We see on the garments she is wearing that there are pictures of eyes and ears which could mean that she is going to watch over and listen to her people.


Pelican Portrait c.1575

At the top left corner you can see the Tudor rose which is seen quite often throughout portraits of the Queen. This is linked to the family and the Tudor dynasty. We also see the bright colours she is wearing in the portrait which shows she is wealthy and has power.

The Ermine Portrait c.1585 

This is one of my favourite portraits of the Queen as I feel like it comes across really strong and powerful. The use of black coloured clothing signifies her seriousness in which she takes her role. There is also a sword at the bottom right which could show a gentle warning to anyone wishing to go against her. At the same time, judging by the way she is sat, I would see it as a way of saying that the Queen would like to rule peacefully. The most notable part of this portrait is the ermine seen on the Queen's left arm. The ermine is a known status symbol as it was only royalty or high nobility that were to wear it. According to legend, the ermine itself would rather die than to ruin its own pure white coat and this is why the animal became such a prized possession. The untouched fur coat was another reason why the ermine became a sign of purity.

Today's lesson we learned about portraiture and symbolism. I managed to learn quite a bit from this lesson, including what certain items in portraits actually meant. I also learnt that Queen Elizabeth suffered from bad skin and had very decayed teeth. She also developed alopecia and wore wigs quite often. I felt like there was a lot to take in this session and I wasn't sure how I was going to remember it all. I did enjoy finding out about the different symbolisms in the portraits however at the start of the lecture I actually felt a bit pressurised as if I should already know everything about them. My next step is to look into some images from more recent times to see if I can spot any symbolism that still exists.




Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portraiture_of_Elizabeth_I_of_England

http://www.rmg.co.uk/discover/explore/symbolism-portraits-elizabeth-i