My Final Chosen Elizabethan Portrait



http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Elizabeth1_Phoenix.jpg
'The Phoenix Portrait'
c.1575
by Nicholas Hilliard
Oil on panel
Sitter: Queen Elizabeth I
 

I have chosen 'The Phoenix Portrait' as my favourite portrait from the London Trip and also my final portrait to inspire and develop my designs because I really like the elaborately decorated gowns Elizabeth I is wearing in this portrait and how it symbolises nobility and wealth through the use of black work, detail golden patterns and beads on the gown. I found the ruff on Elizabeth I's neck very different to other portraits and it presents the high status of her in the Elizabethan era. Pearls are also being used which symbolises chastity and purity. The phoenix that Elizabeth I is wearing at her chest was used to presents chastity, rebirth and sacrifice. It also symbolises Elizabeth's uniqueness as only one phoenix lives at a time. A slender waist in the Elizabethan era was seen as very appealing and beautiful and this portrait features puffs on the gown which accentuate the slender waist and the shoulders even more. Elizabeth wears a small headdress with transparent veil and I like how it looks feminine. The red rose that Elizabeth is holding symbolises beauty, love and religious connotations. At the bottom of the portrait, there is something like a feather fan for me and it might symbolises wealth. Elizabeth features the white complexion, barely visible eyebrows, rouged lips and cheeks on this portrait which are the beauty standards during the Elizabethan era. The big and high forehead that she has shows intelligence. The dark red background on this portrait might symbolises Elizabeth's power.
For my final design ideas, I want to include the ideas of the standard beauty requirements of the Elizabethans which is featuring the white complexion, barely visible eyebrows, red lips and cheeks. I will also want to use the important colours that were used to symbolize wealth, nobility and royalty in the Elizabethan era such as black, gold, white, purple and red for my designs. On the portrait above, I like how Elizabeth I is standing confidently and shows majesty which is also one of the things that I consider for my designs.