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Queen Elizabeth I

Image credit: National Portrait Gallery, London

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The daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth came to the throne on the death of her half-sister, Mary I. Her long reign, beginning in 1558, saw the secure establishment of the Church of England. It was characterised by relative peace and prosperity, a great increase in foreign trade and exploration, and a flourishing literary culture. Despite receiving many proposals of marriage, Elizabeth remained single and became legendary as the 'virgin queen'. She had many favourites, but none more important than Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, who sought to win her hand in marriage. This painting is known as 'The Coronation portrait', and shows the Queen crowned, wearing the cloth of gold which she wore at her coronation on 15 January 1559, which had previously been worn by Mary I.

National Portrait Gallery, London

London

Title

Queen Elizabeth I

Date

late 16th C/early 17th C

Medium

oil on panel

Measurements

H 127.3 x W 99.7 cm

Accession number

5175

Acquisition method

Purchased, 1978

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

National Portrait Gallery, London

St Martin’s Place, London, Greater London WC2H 0HE England

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