The Face of Queenship : Early Modern Representations of Elizabeth I

The Face of Queenship investigates the aesthetic, political, and gender-related meanings in representations of Elizabeth I by her contemporaries. By attending to eyewitness reports, poetry, portraiture, and discourses on beauty and cosmetics, this book shows how the portrayals of the queen s face register her contemporaries hopes, fears, hatreds, mockeries, rivalries, and awe. In its application of theories of the meaning of the face and its exploration of the early modern representation and interpretation of faces, this study argues that the face was seen as a rhetorical tool and that Elizabeth was a master of using her face to persuade, threaten, or comfort her subjects. Cover 1 Half-Title 2 Series 3 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 List of Illustrations 10 Note on the Text 12 Acknowledgments 14 List of Abbreviations 18 Introduction 19 1 Plain Queen, Gorgeous King: Tudor Royal Faces 31 2 “Let nature paint your beauty’s glory”: Beauty and Cosmetics 54 3 Meeting the Queen: Documentary Accounts 81 4 “Mirrors more than one”: Elizabeth’s Literary Faces 107 5 Portraiture: The Painted Texts of Elizabeth’s Faces 138 Part I: Elizabeth and Hilliard 142 Part II: Augmenting the Canon 166 Notes 188 Bibliography 223 Index 253 Front Matter....Pages i-xvii Introduction....Pages 1-12 Plain Queen, Gorgeous King: Tudor Royal Faces....Pages 13-35 “Let Nature Paint your Beauty’s Glory”: Beauty and Cosmetics....Pages 37-63 Meeting the Queen: Documentary Accounts....Pages 65-90 “Mirrors More Than One”: Elizabeth’s Literary Faces....Pages 91-121 Portraiture: The Painted Texts of Elizabeth’s Faces....Pages 123-172 Back Matter....Pages 173-248 Anna Riehl investigates the aesthetic, political, and gender-related meanings inscribed in Queen Elizabeth I's face by her contemporaries