TUDOR PORTRAITS
In the past, people used portraits as a way of showing their wealth, status and power.
They displayed the portraits in the same way that people post photographs of themselves on social media today.
In Tudor times, only the very rich could afford to have their portraits painted.
Paintings of poorer people from this time are very rare.
When sitting for a portrait, people would dress very carefully, using clothing and accessories to present a constructed image of themselves.
Jewellery, expensive fabrics, embroidered cloth or objects beside them, were used to suggest to the viewer that the person in the portrait was important or rich.
Some people had their pet ‘toy’ dogs in their portraits. At the time most people kept dogs as working animals and to keep a pet purely for pleasure, as a ‘toy’, was another sign that you were among the wealthiest in society.
People often dressed in rich, dark colours for portraits, as these were often the most expensive dyes.
To dye clothes in darker colours took a lot more time, effort and money than lighter fabrics.
Servants and poorer people are often seen wearing white or very pale colours, because they needed little or no dyeing.
Expensive clothes were often made of silk.
Silk weaving began in China and expanded along the ‘Silk Roads’ through Asia and North Africa.
Silk reached Spain in 712, Italy in the 1200s, France and the Netherlands in the 1400s and later to England.
Imports of raw silk exploded between 1560 and 1593, as the industry boomed in London.
Ruffs made of lace were worn by the better off Tudor people.
Lace was an expensive material, because it had to be imported from Brussels or Italy.
Ruffs had no practical purpose, people just wore them to be fashionable and thought that the bigger their ruff, the wealthier it would make them look.
Pale, whitened skin was fashionable among Tudor ladies.
A pale complexion was a clear sign that you did not work outside, because you had servants to work for you.
Many Tudor ladies, including Queen Elizabeth I, used make-up to make themselves look paler and to cover marks or scars.
However, this contained dangerous substances like white lead, which we now know is poisonous.
Women often suffered from side-effects, such as irritated skin, or hair loss.
An artist would often enhance a lady’s white skin, by painting her against a very dark background and in black clothes.
Tudors did not usually show their teeth in portraits. It would have been uncomfortable to spend hours posing for a portrait with your mouth open, but a closed mouth also hid any rotten teeth.
To look more masculine in his portrait, a Tudor man might stuff his hose (tights) with straw as padding, to make the gentleman’s legs look more muscular.
Do you have a favourite Tudor portrait?
I love this one of Elizabeth I.
The Rainbow Portrait c.1600, possibly by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, is an image of Elizabeth portrayed as the “Queen of Love and Beauty”
She is dripping with jewels and fine fabric, depicting her majesty, splendour and wealth.
The purpose of this portrait is clear – to show the power and majesty of Elizabeth.
It epitomizes the elaborate iconography associated with Tudor portraits.
The queen’s face is ageless, beautiful and perfect, yet it was painted just three years before her death.
It’s like a Tudor version of today’s magazines air-brushing pictures of celebrities!
🎨 Elizabeth I – The Rainbow Portrait c.1600.
Possibly by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger.
