Elizabethan Portraiture - The Ermine Portrait

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_elizabeth_o/1585_ermine_portrait_by_nic.html

The Ermine Portrait was produced in 1585 by Nicholas Hilliard and can be found today at Hatfield House where it is displayed.  Queen Elizabeth I always sat for portraits and had many produced of her during her reign.  She had them produced in order to portray the image of herself that she wanted the public to see and view her as.  Many of her portraits hold small symbols within them, and the Ermine Portrait is no different to any other.

The symbolic references within this portrait include; the Ermine, the Sword of State and the Olive branch.  Each of them having their different references that the queen used to make herself appear more empowering and a better leader for the country:

     - The Ermine -

       The Ermine is an animal that symbolises royalty and in the painting you can see that it is wearing a small crown around his neck.  This is representing majesty and purity, therefore enforcing the idea that she was 'The Virgin Queen'.

     - The Sword of State -

    This symbolises justice, portraying the idea that Queen Elizabeth would have done, and did, anything to do right by her country and that she would bring justice where it needed to be served.

     - The Olive Branch -

       The Olive Branch is a symbol of peace, which I think shows the idea that Elizabeth wanted peace with other surrounding countries.

Her clothing within this portrait also shows off quite a bit about her:

     - The big puffy sleeves, high neck ruff and the way her hair has been styled up, all symbolise her power, authority and wealth.

     - The bigger and puffier clothing also makes her appear bigger and therefore makes her look more intimidating and powerful.

     - The numerous amounts of jewels also represent her wealth and state.

     - The black and white clothing and the background is another way of showing her wealth, as only really wealthy or royal people of the Elizabethan era would wear colours such as black, white, red or purple.  The fact that she is wearing these colours, is a way of reminding people just how wealthy and powerful she is.

     - The Three Brothers Jewel is also displayed in this portrait of the queen.  This jewel was a gem made out of three diamonds, set in a triangle shape around another diamond.  It was one of the queens favourites, and is also another small reminder of her state of wealth.

Finally, the hair and make-up in this image really pulls the portrait together and sums up Queen Elizabeth.  Her hair is worn up and off of the face; making her appear more serious and powerful.  And her make-up is quite plain; again, a plainer face implies someone who is more serious about their role in society.  Also her face and hands are fairly pale, which I know was the desired look during the Elizabethan era.  This was because how pale you were implied how wealthy you were.  Also paleness is a sign of purity, which is the look that the queen wanted to achieve, as she wanted to be seen and known as the 'Virgin Queen'.