Elizabeth I Re-Creations of the Virgin Queen’s “Real” Appearance
Re-creation of Elizabeth I from a 1560s portrait. Acquired in London in the 1960s by Mary Hill Bishop (d. 1991), Chelsea Park Gardens.
Elizabeth I is someone I could revisit over and over. I wanted to create a version of her in her own time, based on this 1560s portrait of her as a young woman. Check out the full video about her life and reign on YouTube - Royalty Now Studios.
Here’s what we know about her appearance: We know from her life that in order to establish power as an unmarried female monarch, Elizabeth could not let one crack of her personal vulnerability show. Her portraits are much the same. They show Elizabeth in great wealth and splendor, showing her as youthful and trim even in her old age. Her image was to reflect the evergreen power that England was.
It was remarked more than once that Elizabeth could be a vain woman. She was painted many times by artist Nicholas Hilliard, who remarked that Elizabeth was very particular about which images she approved. It even explains why many portraits of her look a bit flat, and lack the light and shadow play that adds more interest to art. Kind of the way we take selfies with good lighting today, Elizabeth insisted that she be painted while sitting in the open light, so that no shadows would come across her face.
We only have a few portraits of a young Elizabeth. Elizabeth was never described as a great beauty, something that she was keenly aware of, but she always looks so regal. The feature I love the most is this distinct kind of double crease that she has on her eyelids. Elizabeth was always described as taking more after her father, Henry VIII, but I love that she got her mother’s famous dark eyes.
As Elizabeth aged, she became more and more self conscious. A bout of smallpox in her late 20s did leave her with some scars. She remedied this by using a common makeup product at the time, called Venetian Ceruse. We know now that this is a toxic mix of vinegar and lead.
The makeup wasn’t quite as cakey as we think of it today. It was more of a medium-coverage white makeup that would blend with the skin, not so much a layer of paint. Although she did have to wear it more and more as her life went on, due to the negative effects on her skin that it had. Near the end of her life, we know she had bad teeth and was partially bald. She took great pains to conceal these perceived weaknesses under heavy cosmetics and wigs.
One of the last portraits of Elizabeth that can really be trusted is The Darnley Portrait. Painted around 1575, this image shows Elizabeth at the approximate age of 41. Elizabeth liked the portrait so much that she approved its use as a pattern for the rest of her life, essentially allowing the Queen to freeze time on this public persona and not age. This exact same face was used over and over in the coming years, with the clothing and other styling changed to match the occasion and fashion moment. Art historians often refer to this portrait as her “Mask of Youth”, as no surviving portraits between 1596 and Elizabeth's death in 1603 show the aging queen as she truly was.
The Darnley Portrait
For my interpretation of Queen Elizabeth, I’ve used one of my favorites, painted in the 1560s. This was painted by an unidentified painter shortly after she had ascended the throne and was in private hands for a long time. It was probably circulated as an image of Elizabeth for a potential marriage alliance.