Transcript Slide 1
starter activity If you were Queen Elizabeth, which of these two portraits would you want people to see? Why? How did Elizabeth use propaganda? The secret language of Elizabethan portraits How did Elizabeth communicate with her people? Church – sermons every Sunday Royal progresses Ceremonies – Accession Day Pamphlets Holding court – banquets, jousts Portraits What problems might Elizabeth encounter with some of the ways of communicating listed above? What was Elizabeth actually like? Height: approx 5’ 4’’ Skin blemished by small pox & burned by lead oxide make-up Teeth blackened by decay Halitosis Alopecia Can you put the portraits in order? Can you put the portraits in order? 4 1 Armada Portrait, 1588 c. 1546, Elizabeth still a princess 2 3 Elizabeth as a 25 year old queen, 1560 Coronation Portrait, 1559 The Armada Portrait What is happening in these corners? Why is there a crown? Why does she have her hand on the globe? Why is she wearing so many pearls? The Armada Portrait Ships on left are the English, those on the right the Spanish being dashed on the rocks and dispersed. Symbol of royalty Imperial ambitions – her hand is on South America, source of Spain’s gold. High status, symbol of purity. What do all the symbols mean? Symbol Pearls Serpent Ermine Sieve Pelican Olive branch / Rainbow Ruby Meaning What do all the symbols mean? Symbol Meaning Pearls Purity Serpent Cunning & wisdom Ermine Royalty Sieve Virginity (classical mythology vestal virgins could carry a sieve without allowing water to spill to the ground) Pelican Charity & selflessness (in mythology the pelican pecks itself to feed its young) Olive branch / Rainbow Peace & prosperity Ruby Love Your task Answer the questions relating to this portrait of Elizabeth. The original is kept at Hatfield House, nr. London. Imagine you are a tour guide at Hatfield. Prepare a short speech describing what you can see in the picture. Task sheet Extension task Visit this website to see other portraits of Elizabeth. Use the skills you now have to write a short piece about one of these. http://www.marileecody.com/eliz1-images.html