- 2
English School
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 GBP
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Description
- English School
- Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603)
- oil on panel
three-quarter length, wearing a black ermine edged gown, holding a carnation in her right hand and a book in her left
Provenance
Anonymous sale, Christie's London, 23 March 1979, lot 155
Condition
STRUCTURE
Original panel.
PAINT SURFACE
There is some evidence of minor paint loss and wear to the extreme panel edges.
ULTRAVIOLET
Ultraviolet light reveals some re-touching to the face and along the panel joins. There also appears to be a later addition of a panel measuring approximately two inches at the extreme left hand edge.
FRAME
Held in a 20th Century wood frame with a gilt line.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
This rare image shows the young Queen Elizabeth at the start of her reign. It is one of the small group of portraits showing her in a full frontal image reflecting those used both in early official documents and in the lost portrait of her in coronation robes. She is shown in black with a prominent ermine-lined collar and holds a carnation in one hand and a book in the other, probably signifying her devotion to the Protestant faith.
She is shown with fine jewellery as befitting her status. On her right hand is a ring set with a point-cut diamond and on her left hand, a ring set with a ruby within a quartrefoil setting. Her sleeves are fastened with a set of buttons sewn with seed pearls, and the girdle is set with clusters of five pearls alternating with gems in rectangular collets which match the jewelled border of her cap - this type is frequently listed in her inventories. Her collar comprises gold links set with twin pearls alternating with gems in raised collets, and the pendant is elaborately chased with decorative motifs and set with a large point cut diamond and with a pearl hanging below.
A tree-ring analysis carried out by John Fletcher in 1978 indicated a date for the portrait in the 1560's, and Fletcher pointed out that one or possibly two of the panels in the present portrait were almost certainly from the same tree as two of the panels in the portrait of Richard Wakeman painted by Hans Eworth and dated 1566. The link with Eworth is significant as the background of the present portrait shows the Cloth of State, something which emphasised the sitter's royal status. The Cloth of State forms the background of at least four of Eworth's celebrated images of Elizabeth's sister Mary, most notably in the Society of Antiquaries portrait where it is coloured red. The inclusion of the Cloth of State in the present portrait sets it apart from all the other known early portraits of the Queen and gives it a special significance.
When Elizabeth succeeded to the throne in 1558 she was only twenty-five years old, but the difficult five preceeding years when her elder sister Mary was on the throne must have taken their toll. Mary distrusted and feared her sister, and this distrust was only encouraged by various rebellions, such as those by Wyatt, which were carried out in Elizabeth's name, and in the early years of Mary's reign she was sent to the Tower and then to Woodstock where she lived under house arrest. In view of this it is perhaps not surprising that the very earliest portraits of the new Queen such as this one do not show the confident splendour of her later portraits. However it is an important document as it is one of only a few of these early images which survive. It comes from a period when there was no pressure from the Court or the Church for the image of the Monarch to be projected to the nation or to other Monarchs and the idea that the royal portrait could be an instrument of propaganda had not yet born fruit.
She is shown with fine jewellery as befitting her status. On her right hand is a ring set with a point-cut diamond and on her left hand, a ring set with a ruby within a quartrefoil setting. Her sleeves are fastened with a set of buttons sewn with seed pearls, and the girdle is set with clusters of five pearls alternating with gems in rectangular collets which match the jewelled border of her cap - this type is frequently listed in her inventories. Her collar comprises gold links set with twin pearls alternating with gems in raised collets, and the pendant is elaborately chased with decorative motifs and set with a large point cut diamond and with a pearl hanging below.
A tree-ring analysis carried out by John Fletcher in 1978 indicated a date for the portrait in the 1560's, and Fletcher pointed out that one or possibly two of the panels in the present portrait were almost certainly from the same tree as two of the panels in the portrait of Richard Wakeman painted by Hans Eworth and dated 1566. The link with Eworth is significant as the background of the present portrait shows the Cloth of State, something which emphasised the sitter's royal status. The Cloth of State forms the background of at least four of Eworth's celebrated images of Elizabeth's sister Mary, most notably in the Society of Antiquaries portrait where it is coloured red. The inclusion of the Cloth of State in the present portrait sets it apart from all the other known early portraits of the Queen and gives it a special significance.
When Elizabeth succeeded to the throne in 1558 she was only twenty-five years old, but the difficult five preceeding years when her elder sister Mary was on the throne must have taken their toll. Mary distrusted and feared her sister, and this distrust was only encouraged by various rebellions, such as those by Wyatt, which were carried out in Elizabeth's name, and in the early years of Mary's reign she was sent to the Tower and then to Woodstock where she lived under house arrest. In view of this it is perhaps not surprising that the very earliest portraits of the new Queen such as this one do not show the confident splendour of her later portraits. However it is an important document as it is one of only a few of these early images which survive. It comes from a period when there was no pressure from the Court or the Church for the image of the Monarch to be projected to the nation or to other Monarchs and the idea that the royal portrait could be an instrument of propaganda had not yet born fruit.