Illustration
The c. 1588 'Armada Portrait' attributed to George Gower of Elizabeth I of England (r. 1558-1603). The title of this painting derives from the window behind the queen which shows the defeat of the Spanish Armada in a storm in 1588. There are several versions of this painting.
The black dress and cloak of the queen symbolize constancy while her many white pearls link her to the Virgin Mary. Looking youthful for her 57 years, the queen holds the handle of a fan in her left hand while her right is placed over a globe to symbolize England's imperial ambitions. Her hand is, not coincidentally, placed over North America where England's first colony was located, Virginia, named after the queen. Another symbol of empire is the imperial crown on the left. On the right, there is a golden statue of a mermaid, perhaps a ship's figurehead to continue the maritime theme of the painting.
Royal Museums Greenwich, England.
License & Copyright
Based on Wikipedia content that has been reviewed, edited, and republished.
Original image by George Gower. Uploaded by Mark Cartwright, published on 22 May 2020. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Public Domain. This item is in the public domain, and can be used, copied, and modified without any restrictions. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.
Related Images
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Cite This Work
APA Style
Gower, G. (2020, May 22). Elizabeth I Armada Portrait. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/12284/elizabeth-i-armada-portrait/
Chicago Style
Gower, George. "Elizabeth I Armada Portrait." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified May 22, 2020. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/12284/elizabeth-i-armada-portrait/.
MLA Style
Gower, George. "Elizabeth I Armada Portrait." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 22 May 2020. Web. 20 Feb 2025.
