This post is going to be art centric, mostly because I don't really have anything else to blog about and also I should probably start to get into the frame of mind of analysing art as uni starts next week, the break between summer school and semester one has seriously been too short for my liking.
This painting has come up a couple of times in different Art History courses I've taken and the painting itself and the symbolism it has is quite interesting so I thought I'd blog about it.
This is a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I and was commissioned to celebrate her attending the patron's party and also to get back into her good graces as he was living with his mistress (scandalous!).
She has her usual imagery which she used throughout her reign, most notably a 'face plate' which meant she looked eternally youthful even though she was a very old women. She is shown standing over England, showing her as the protector, ruler and mother of the nation with her feet over Oxfordshire which was were the patron's house was. Placing her outside the traditional everyday setting and into the celestial realm conveys her eternal youth and rule over England. The fan in her had as well as her clothes show her status as an wealthy, aristocratic and powerful women and the pearls show her purity as the Virgin Queen.
The portrait was basically created to try and get into the Queen's good books by glorifying her as this great, powerful and youthful monarch.
Hope you all enjoyed this post. I may have been a bit naughty and bought myself some beauty products which I do really need ;) It's my birthday next week so they are kind of presents to myself.
xoxo
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