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Elizabeth I Queen at a time of change in views of womens roles
Elizabeth I Queen at a time of change in views of womens roles
The role of Elizabethan women
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Most of Mary I’s portraits present her in a subservient or submissive manner. This is achieved by the display of her posture, dress, and objects around her. Often, Mary is placed in a seated position as seen in Antonis Mor’s ‘Potrait of Queen Mary I’ of 1554 (Figure 5) and her hands will be empty, folded, or holding a modest item (rose). Understandably, when she was trying to appear appealing to potential partners, her portraits intended to place value on her obedience rather than the authority she possessed over her own realm. On the other hand, portraits of Elizabeth expressed her power and majesty. In ‘The Ditchley Potrait,’ she is shown standing, with her arms spread apart holding objects, one of which is a fan. The act of standing, especially on top of a map, emphasizes the presence of power or authority, it naturally …show more content…
There seems to be a relation between the Queens posture in ‘The Ditchley Portrait’ and that of her father’s in Hans Holbein the Younger’s ‘Whitehall Mural’. Due to Henry VIII’s symbolic iconography, comparing Elizabeth to her father would be appropriate for the intended message of power. Generally, fans symbolized elegance or wealth, however, considering the date of ‘The Ditchley Potrait’ being 1592 and the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, referencing the fan to Elizabeth’s power would be fitting. Winds and storms played a vital role in the defeat of the Spanish Armada, and seeing that Queen Elizabeth is given the authority of the skies and possesses an armillary sphere on her left ear, any suggestions that she had an influence on the winds through the object of a fan would be appropriate. Other portraits of Elizabeth utilizing objects to express her power include ‘The Armada Portrait’ of 1588 (Figure 6) where she places her hand atop a globe and ‘The Rainbow Portrait’ where she holds a metaphorical
King Ferdinand and Isabella are known as one of the most famous couples in the world. Isabella who was the daughter of King John II of Castile and Ferdinand was the son of King John I of Aragon were married to create unity between the two kingdoms. At the time of their marriage the spanish moors were in control of a big chunk of Spain.
Ulrich shows a progression of change in the way that women’s sexuality was viewed in New England. First, she starts with a society that depended on “external rather internal controls” and where many New Englanders responded more to shame than guilt (Ulrich 96). The courts were used to punish sexual misconducts such as adultery with fines, whippings, or sometimes even death. There were certain behaviors that “respectable” women were expected to follow and “sexual misbehavior” resulted in a serious decline of a woman’s reputation from even just one neighbor calling her names such as whore or bawd (Ulrich 97-98). Because the love between a man and his wife was compared to the bond between Christ and the Church, female modesty was an important ideal. “Within marriage, sexual attraction promoted consort; outside marriage, it led to heinous sins” (Ulrich 108). This modesty was expected to be upheld even as death approached and is seen with the example of Mary Mansfield in 1681. Ulrich describes Mary to have five neck cloths tucked into her bosom and eleven caps covering her hair. “A good wife was to be physically attractive…but she was not to expose her beauty to every eye”. Hence, even as she died, Mary was required to conceal her sexuality and beauty. However, at the end of the seventeenth century and throughout the
In “Hatshepsut: His Majesty, Herself”, by Catherine Andronik, she informs the reader about Hatshepsut and her role as an effective female pharaoh in ancient Egypt. One supporting detail proving her leadership was when she acted as a regent, an adult who can take control of the country. Another detail that supports the fact that Hatshepsut was an effective leader is in paragraph 11 where the text states, “ She appointed officials and advisors, dealt with the priests; appeared in public ceremonies first behind, then beside, and eventually in front of her nephew.” this quote explains that because Hatshepsut’s nephew, Tuthmosis III, was too young to be a powerful ruler, Hatshepsut, who was second in command, ended up doing everything for him. Hatshepsut
The painting named Portrait of Mrs. Chinnery is an artwork by Elisabeth-Louise Vigee LeBrun produced in the year 1803. It is oil on canvas rectangular painting measuring 36 by 28 inches (91.5 by 71 cent meters). Its subject is Mrs. Chinnery, wife to William. Details on her life are scarce although her maiden name is reported. She was a widely known pianist and a popular hostess in one of the buildings that many of the British rich and noble people liked to frequent. She had three children: George, Caroline and Walter. In this painting, the lady is presented sitting in a relaxed manner while reading a book which is claimed to be about the French fashion of which she was an enthusiast. The subject’s body is facing to the right of the painting, the direction in which she holds the book. She, however, is facing directly in front, in reference to the portrait, with her gaze slightly to the right. Her left arm is hidden below the book, away from view in the painting, while her right arm rests between the pages of the book, probably near the middle of the book, as if to prevent it from closing. She is wearing a red dress, with short sleeves and a V shape in the chest area. She has two necklaces hanging from her neck. She has a red bund round her head, probably to hold her hair off her face. She has gold colored hair hanging freely down her neck and back. In the forehead, the hair is parted in such a way as to form an inverted V. She can be inferred to be wearing a red lipstick, with her face tilted slightly to the left. She does not seem to be smiling; her left eye is open wider than the left eye as if she is winking with the lips closed tightly together. Part of the thigh region can be seen but the legs are hidden off the painting. She ...
During the course of the eighteenth century, both Peter I and Catherine II rose to power as Russian tsars implementing their social and political power upon their kingdom and people. They aimed to westernize Eastern Europe, amassing great power and tracts of land, yet the tactical process in which they did so differed for each individual. Peter I and Catherine the Great made effective changes within the structures of military, nobility, education, and peasantry.
The immediate background consists of natural mounds of dirt and a brick wall that enclose the Virgin, Child, and St. John, amplifying the protective effect that Mary’s figure has. The dirt mounds roll inward with a brick wall bordering them on the right, drawing the viewer’s attention towards the three figures. The background is painted in broad terms, with a simple, uniform depiction of tree leaves and smooth rock faces on the horizon. This contrasts with the fine-lined detail and texture of Mary’s hair, facial features, and veil, which further contribute to her elegance and highlight her
Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun was one of the most successful painters of her time. Over the course of her life, spanning from 1755-1842, she painted over 900 works. She enjoyed painting self portraits, completing almost 40 throughout her career, in the style of artists she admired such as Peter Paul Rubens (Montfort). However, the majority of her paintings were beautiful, colorful, idealized likenesses of the aristocrats of her time, the most well known of these being the Queen of France Marie Antoinette, whom she painted from 1779-1789. Not only was Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun the Queen’s portrait painter for ten years, but she also became her close, personal friend. She saw only the luxurious, carefree, colorful, and fabulous lifestyle the aristocracy lived in, rather than the poverty and suffrage much of the rest of the country was going through. Elisabeth kept the ideals of the aristocracy she saw through Marie Antoinette throughout her life, painting a picture of them that she believed to be practically perfect. Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun’s relationship with Marie Antoinette affected her social standing, politics, painting style, and career.
In 1553, Mary I became the Queen of England. Mary married King Philip of Spain in order to secure Catholicism in England. Elizabeth unwillingly became the leader of Mary’s opposition, the British Protestants of the time. She attempted to force her younger sister, Elizabeth, into attending Catholic mass in order to set an example for her followers. Elizabeth was raised Protestant and didn’t want to convert, so she avoided mass by complaining of stomach aches. A man named Thomas Wyatt sent a letter informing Elizabeth that he was planning a rebellion in order to prevent the marriage between the two royals.
During her reign, Elizabeth I greatly affected arts of England. “Elizabeth’s reign was a Great Age for English Music, and she directly patronized its greatest composers, Thomas Tallis and William Byrd” (Doran et al). Additionally, Elizabeth was a major proponent of literature, and it was prominent throughout her court. Many compositions were created that reflected Elizabethan politics from great writers such as the playwright, William Shakespeare, who made many comments through his classical writing. Another example was Elizabeth’s gothic art style, which she mixed into a renaissance-type court (Doran et al). Essentially, she was able blend and preserve medieval architectural and art styles into the Renaissance period, unlike other European nations which were much more consumed by the realistic and classical art of the
Upon the death of her sister--in November of 1558--Elizabeth ascended to the thrown of England. Until Mary’s rule, no woman--apart from the unrecognized rule of Matilda, daughter of Henry I--had ruled England of her own right1. Much like her sister, Elizabeth began her rule widely accepted and welcomed2. There were, however, still many who felt that women were unable to rule, being that women were said to be the weaker sex. John Knox argued that, “God by the order of his creation hath spoiled women of authority and dominion, [and] also that man hath seen, proved and pronounced just causes why that it so should be.”3 Women had always been no more then property, first to their fathers and then their husbands. If a women were to be the anointed queen of a realm of her own right and then marry, whom was beholden to whom? A woman was to do as instructed by her husband in all things, yet a sovereign was to be under the command of God only.
Queen Elizabeth had an enormous impact on England. Elizabeth expanded England’s international power and encouraged an artistic period by being a patron of the arts.
In 1668, King Charles II had a painter, Peter Lely, create a piece of Venus and Cupid, but by taking a closer look the viewer can see that it’s actually a portrait of Charles II’s mistress Nell Gwynn. The girl in the portrait looks benignly at the viewers and showed “her submission to the owner’s feeling and demand.” (Ways of Seeing 52). The king hung the painting behind another landscape so he could unveil it and make “his guest envied him.” (Ways of Seeing 52).
Evaluate and respond to the presentations of women in the Romantic period. Feel free to discuss presentations of women, by women (such as Austen’s Persuasion) as well as presentations of women by men (such as the “she” in Byron’s “She Walks in Beauty”). Consider the following questions: are these presentations problematic? What do they tell us about the values and briefs of the Romantic Period? Do any of these presentations subvert (complicate, or call into questions) the time’s notions of femininity?
The way both Elizabeth and Catherine lived during their youth had an impact on their life ambitions. Raised by an exasperated father, a single-minded mother whose only goal was to have each of he...
During the Renaissance, the Virgin Mary was prevalent theme throughout this period where artists such as: Fra Angelico, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Bothicellical and Perugino were inspired to paint the Virgin Mary. The paintings show a motherly pleasant looking women holding or caring for her child. The paints are capturing the Mary as a human but giving her a divine appearance. The child being Christ shows her power by giving birth to him and by caring for the Son of God. In essence providing love, caring, and protection for the young child of God. For example, plate 15 and frame 23, these plates show a compassionate caring mother that is humanistic in depiction but larger or more encompassing of the painting than the Christ child. This is implying her importance in the early life of Christ. This also shows the power or her earthly influence over the child even though she is a human and not a deity. This gives her a special place in the church as the earthly Mother that is the most perfect of humans, other than Christ.