Elizabethan Portrait Analysis and Tudor Cosmetics

The use of make-up goes back centuries, even as far back to 3000BC to when Egyptians used khol to their eyes and eyebrows. The Elizabethans aquired khol and such products from the middle east during the crusades and began using these also.

 

Tudors used make-up to show nobility and wealth and only wealthy women could achieve the sought after pale complexion as poor women would be working and therefore their skin would appear tanned. The white make-up used to for this pale complexion was achieved by the mixture of white lead and vinegar and this was poisonous! However it did help to cover any scars that Elizabeth aquired after she suffered from smallpox. The red lips and cheeks was made of a mixture of cochineal and sometimes madden and vermilon was added to create the red colour. The tudors were influenced by the Crusades and many people followed Elizabeth's trends and copied her high forehead, pale skin, red lips and flushed cheek look as this was seen as noble and beautiful.

 

The richer of the tudor women would also dye their hair yellow as Elizabeth did and this was made from saffron, celendine, oil and cumin seed. Elizabeth had over eighty wigs in total and was said to wear these alot more often in later life when her hair started to thin as she wanted to uphold her image as the 'Virgin Queen'.

 

Refrences: http://www.sixwives.info/tudor-make-up.htm

 

On Friday we visited London for the day and had the opportunity to go to the National Portrait Gallery where we saw a number of Tudor portraits. The one picture that intrigued me was a picture of Elizabeth from 1588.

 

Name of Painter:  Unknown British Painter
Title of the Work: Elizabeth I 1558
Date it was painted: 1558
Size :  38 1/2 in. x 28 1/2 in.
Medium : Oil on Panel

 

The clothing worn by Elizabeth in this portrait is symbolic of her status and social class as she is covered in pearls and also bows which I think shows her femininity. The lace collar she's wearing draws attention to her face which was admired by many and is many fiercely tried to look like at that time. Her hair in this picture is also traditional and out of her face and may be a wig; from what I can tell this portrait was painted in her later years as her face looks slightly more gaunt and her eyes deeper set. The pearls hanging from her neck clearly show her status and her feather fan and headress also show me that what she is wearing was very expensive. They were given to her as a gift from The Earl of Leicester and were the last thing he gave her. The crown is clearly seen placed just next to Elizabeth to again show her status as Queen.

This portrait for me is all about power. Elizabeth's hand is over a globe which symbolises her power and what she is capable of. However if you look closer, the viewer's eye is lead to Elizabeth's hand that is covering over America symbolising England's domination over the seas and desires to expand wealth and power as South America was the source of Spain's Gold. The background which I found out may have been painted on at a later date, is of the Spanish Armada. You can see the ships on the left hand side of the image as normal and as the image passes Elizabeth to the right hand side the ships seem to be destroyed. This is a political aspect that has been added to the painting and it tells me and the people that would have seen this of her power and that the people respected her status and what her word was capable of. It is also a way of leading our eyes around the painting and in a way telling us a story of how England were victorious over the Spanish. You can also see that the cloth used in the background is red and gold which symbolises wealth as cochineal came from Spain and use of it was restricted to the very wealthy as it was expensive to buy and to put into clothing and fabrics.
Elizabeth's arms are symmertrical in this painting and are positioned outwards and her head raised; to me this shows confidence. Elizabeth wanted to be seen as strong and would want her people to have faith in her strength as a ruler and her stance in this portrait shows this perfectly.
Small versions of this painting would have been given to the wealthy by the government to win them over and to give an image of her purity, respect and love for her people.

 

This was by far my favourite image of Elizabeth as it encorporates everything that she is about. It shows her beauty, power and status and you can clearly see that many admired and respected her.

 

Image Refrence: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Elizabeth_I_(Armada_Portrait).jpg
Date Reference: http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw02077/Queen-Elizabeth-I