Tag: Portraiture

Book Review – ‘Gloriana: Elizabeth I and the Art of Queenship’ by Linda Collins & Siobhan Clarke

~ Helene Harrison ~ 2 Comments

Thank you to The History Press for a copy of this book to review.

This book is the first one I’ve read of this type, looking at the Elizabethan age through portraiture, including the more famous Coronation, Rainbow, and Armada portraits, and the lesser-known Pelican and miniature portraits. Also includes portraits of people of the Elizabethan age like Walter Raleigh, William Shakespeare, and Robert Dudley.

It is divided into digestible sections covering different parts of Elizabeth’s life and reign, in largely chronological order, though with dives in and out of the lives of Elizabeth’s courtiers and favourites. There are lots of implications raised about the portraits, and what little things you might overlook could mean, whether it’s a gift from a courtier trying to curry favour through jewels, or the symbolism of a flower, hourglass, or animal that appears.

It’s not a biography of Elizabeth I but an art history, looking at the life and reign of Elizabeth through the portraiture. It clearly links the portraits to different parts of her life and reign, giving the context of how the portraits link to different periods of her life, and how the imagery changes over her life.

A must-have for any fans or academics of the Elizabethan era because it looks at the age from a new perspective and can offer plenty of insights into self-fashioning, image, and power. It was utterly fascinating and so well-researched.

Chapters:

  1. Elizabeth I and the English Renaissance
  2. Family and Survival: The Early Years
  3. ‘God Hath Raised Me High’: Accession and Religion
  4. ‘One Mistress and No Master’: Marriage Game
  5. Nicholas Hillard: The Queen’s Painter
  6. Secrets and Codes: Mary, Queen of Scots
  7. Elizabethan Arts: The Golden Age
  8. Gold and Glory: Exploration and Armada
  9. Dress, Dazzle and Display: Mask of Youth
  10. Final Years: Death and Legacy

Tudor Exhibitions at Royal Museums Greenwich

~ Helene Harrison ~ Leave a comment

  • Henry VII by Unknown Netherlandish artist 1505 oil on panel © National Portrait Gallery, London
  • Anne Boleyn by Unknown English artist late 16th century, based on a work of circa 1533-1536 oil on panel © National Portrait Gallery, London
  • Queen Elizabeth I (‘The Ditchley portrait’) by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger circa 1592 oil on canvas © National Portrait Gallery, London

It has been a very difficult year for museums, many of which have remained closed, or have only been able to open for a month or two.  I was approached by Royal Museums Greenwich about their new upcoming exhibitions.  With my anxiety I don’t feel like I can travel at the moment to attend the exhibitions, but I am hoping to get the chance to visit before they close as they both look excellent!

If you want to attend one of the exhibitions, tickets are on sale now at the links below, open from 17 May 2021.

The first exhibition is called ‘Tudors to Windsors’ on royal portraiture from Henry VII to the present day. The second is called ‘Faces of a Queen’ which will bring together the three surviving Armada portraits for the first time.

‘Tudors to Windsors’ – Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits | Museum Exhibitions (rmg.co.uk)

“Come face-to-face with the kings and queens who have shaped British history for over 500 years.

Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits at the National Maritime Museum includes over 150 of the finest portraits from across five royal dynasties.

Discover how royal portraiture has developed over the last five centuries, from Henry VII to Elizabeth II.”

‘Faces of a Queen’ – Faces of a Queen | Royal Museums Greenwich (rmg.co.uk)

“Three portraits, one historic exhibition: see the Armada Portraits of Elizabeth I for free at the Queen’s House in Greenwich.

The Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I is one of the most iconic portraits in British history.

Three versions of the painting survive, each offering a subtly different depiction of Queen Elizabeth I at the height of her power.

Now, for the first time in their 430-year history, these three works are on public display together.”

For anyone who loves Tudor history and / or portraiture these exhibitions look really exciting and interesting and you can find more information at the links above, as well as book tickets.

Henry VIII Mural Reveals Secret

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Henry VIII Mural found in a Somerset home in 2011
Henry VIII Mural found in a Somerset home in 2011

Henry VIII Mural Reveals Secret

“A COUPLE who stumbled across an almost life-size mural of Henry VIII as they redecorated their drawing room have now discovered that the devil is in the detail.

Angie and Rhodri Powell found out that when viewed upside down or through a wine glass, the portrait of the king on his throne is transformed into a vision of Satan, with goat’s eyes and horns.

The mural, found in the couple’s 16th-century home in Milverton, Somerset, in 2011, has already been declared a work of national importance.”

Undergraduate Dissertation Chapter – Portrayals of Anne Boleyn in Portraits and Literature

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Portrayals of Anne Boleyn

“I have never had better opinions of woman than I had of her” – Thomas Cranmer

Anne Boleyn was an unpopular Queen. As Eric Ives said, she was ‘perhaps a figure to be more admired than liked’.[i] She has been portrayed in many different ways: through plays, portraits, biographies written through religious eyes and through the eyes of the man who loved her, and killed her.

Anne Boleyn National Portrait Gallery.
Anne Boleyn National Portrait Gallery.

With Anne Boleyn living her life largely in the public spotlight, there was a ‘calculated distance between the public persona and the inner self’.[ii] This in itself poses a problem as Anne did not want to show weakness in the face of her enemies so it is unlikely that the surviving contemporary evidence portrayed who Anne Boleyn really was; it more likely shows the face that she wanted the public to see – the Queen rather than the woman.

Stephen Greenblatt expands on this idea and says that there was a widespread idea in sixteenth century England that the self could be fashioned, but that it was constrained due to family, state and religious implications; these imposed a rigid and disciplined order on society as a whole.[iii] In reference to Anne Boleyn, state implications were particularly important, but also religious implications, as Anne was widely known as having reformist tendencies. Greenblatt’s arguments will be examined in this chapter. Continue reading “Undergraduate Dissertation Chapter – Portrayals of Anne Boleyn in Portraits and Literature” →