Transcript Elizabethan portraits

 starter activity
If you were Queen Elizabeth, which of these two portraits would you
want people to see? Why?How do they compare with other
portraits you have seen of Tudor monarchs?
Key words: propaganda
How did Elizabeth use
propaganda?
LOs: TBAT explain the secret
language of Elizabethan portraits
To judge which portrait reveals most
about EI
Read the article about how Elizabeth communicated with her people.
Under the heading, ‘Elizabethan communication’ note down the different
methods used? Read Source A. How do you think its author felt about
Elizabeth’s visit?
How did Elizabeth communicate
with her people?
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Church – sermons every
Sunday
Royal progresses
Ceremonies – Accession
Day
Holding tilts– banquets,
jousts
Portraits
What problems might Elizabeth encounter with some
of the ways of communicating listed above?
Elizabeth often used symbols in her portraits. Study the symbols
sheet for 1 minute and then your teacher will test you! Can you
make up your own symbols?
What do all the symbols mean?
Symbol
Meaning
Clothing & jewels
Power & purity
Tudor rose
Right to the throne
Ermine
Virtue & purity
Phoenix
Rise of Protestant Church from the
flames of the Catholic one
Pelican
Sacrifice
Rainbow
Peace
Eyes & ears
All seeing and hearing
Study these portraits of Elizabeth. What qualities did she want to
convey in them? Under the heading ‘Qualities in portraits’ make a
list. Can you sequence them chronologically?
Qualities in portraits
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Right to the throne
Purity – the ‘Virgin Queen’
Strength and power
Wealth
Ageless beauty
Divine qualities – Astraea, goddess of
abundance and eternal springtime
Which of these qualities are
shown in this portrait?
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
 Your task / Success criteria

In small groups you will be given a portrait to
study. Annotate the portrait and prepare to give
a 1 minute gallery talk. Include the following:
Describe the portrait, e.g. any details of clothing
or accessories, the setting
 Explain the symbolism
 Persuade us why your portrait should be kept
for the nation
 Link it to any knowledge you have about
Elizabeth or Tudor times

Visit the National Portrait Gallery. Watch this film clip and note down why portraits were
so important to the Tudors. Choose a Tudor portrait and write a gallery guide. Record
your guide
Key words: propaganda
How did Elizabeth use
propaganda?
LOs: To find out about the secret
language of Elizabethan portraits
To judge which portrait reveals most
about EI