London trip- Favourite Portrait from the National Portrait Gallery

http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw02074/Queen-Elizabeth-I?LinkID=mp01452&search=sas&sText=elizabeth&OConly=true&wPage=0&role=sit&rNo=4

Queen Elizabeth I

associated with Nicholas Hilliard
oil on panel, circa 1575
31 in. x 24 in. (787 mm x 610 mm)
Purchased, 1865

I have chosen the portrait from above as my favourite from the National Portrait Gallery and it is a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. The reason I choose it is because I like how details the gown was drawn on this portrait and also the way Elizabeth posed confidently which shows her powerful role within this portrait and also shows the strength that Elizabeth held during her reign. The portrait is filled with the colour black, red, pearly white, copper and shades of gold which are the important colours in Elizabethan era for the Upper class to show their nobility. The plain dark red background stands out Elizabeth's costume and this portrait emphasise and make focuses on the rich costume and jewelleries. The jewel on Elizabeth's chest is a phoenix and this unique bird, mythical, reborn out of fire suggest to the unmarried Queen Elizabeth's virginity and rebirth.
I like how the gown is completely covered in gold embroidery and pearls which symbolised purity and nobility and the puffs on the gown helps to accentuate more the breadth of the shoulders and the slender waist. The white pale face, strawberry blonde curly hair, rouged cheeks and lips and the thin eyebrows were all visible on this portrait. In the portrait, Elizabeth holds a Tudor rose which was used to refer to the Tudor dynasty and the unity that it bought to the realm. The rose also related to religious connotations as the medieval symbol of the Virgin Mary I.