The Cult of the Sovreign The Armada Portrait 1588 p. 55

The portrait was made to commemorate the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Elizabeth I's international power is reflected by the hand resting on the globe.

READING THE PICTURE What attributes of royalty are depicted in the portrait? Point them out. The crown on the right-hand side of the queen, the sceptre in Elizabeth’s left hand and the magnificence of her dress rich in jewels. What symbolic elements stress Elizabeth’s superhuman status? On the lower right part of the picture forming the arm of the chair where the queen is sitting there is a carved mermaid: according to classical mythology, mermaids lured sailors to their death, just as Elizabeth had tempted Spain to her ruin. Moreover, Elizabeth’s right hand rests on a globe with her fingers covering the Americas, which points out England’s control of the seas and plans for imperial expansion. Finally, in the background the defeat of the Spanish Armada is depicted. All this confers upon Elizabeth a superhuman, almost divine status. The queen is presented as a near goddess presiding over England’s destiny.

What do you think best renders Elizabeth’s greatness: the visible attributes of royalty or the symbolic elements of the picture? Give reasons for your answer. In my opinion, both the symbolic elements and the attributes of royalty in the portrait are used to render Elizabeth’s greatness because through them Elizabeth is presented as a great and victorious monarch, the defender of her country against the forces of evil represented by the Spanish Armada. Briefly describe the events of the defeat of the Spanish Armada; point out the elements in the painting that refer to them. The Invincible Armada was a huge fleet sent by Philip II of Spain to invade England in 1588. In the English channel the light English ships easily defeated the heavy Spanish fleet sinking several of its ships. The ships that had not been sunk by the English were finished off by heavy storms. The painting in the background shows two episodes of this important historical event: On the left we see the English ships attacking the Spanish Armada; on the right, instead, the Spanish fleet is shipwrecked on the rocky coasts of Ireland and Scotland.