In recent years more attention has been paid to the Portrait painted of the young Queen in the 1560s and the message they sought to convey. Apart from the Coronation portrait, which survives as a 1590s copy, they are usually relatively small and show her soberly dressed, if not entirely in black, with discreet jewellery and holding a prayer book. From the middle years of her reign in the 1570s the images become larger, the Queen is elaborately and fashionably dressed and coiffured and bedecked in jewels. As the reign continued the images became larger, ever more sumptuous and bejewelled, ever more a living icon.
The painting now in Australia is rather old-fashioned in its framing as it is reminiscent of those of the Yorkist kings. Maybe it was intended as an addition to a series in that style.
The face is unmistakable, the clothing expensive and detailed. but still relatively restrained. The image is one that conveys something of the uncertainties of the first decade of the reign when the succession, the possible marriage negotiation, the religious settlement and the international situation were still all to play for.
The article should be accessible at Australia-first painting is nearly 500 years old
Unfortunately I cannot find an online image of the work that will download. So much for the typical art gallery attitude to making their collections available to the world beyond their doors.
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