tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16981893.post2677865272021512045..comments2024-03-28T15:16:29.965-05:00Comments on Tudor Q and A: Question from Danielle - Symbols and propaganda in Elizabethan portraitureLarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16630629272030282584noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16981893.post-12021220140615589092014-05-14T12:36:35.469-05:002014-05-14T12:36:35.469-05:00Hi Lara - the most obvious symbols are to be seen ...Hi Lara - the most obvious symbols are to be seen in the sieve portraits of Elizabeth, of course. Elizabeth was painted holding a sieve, a rather unusual object for a queen to posess - but the reference goes back to the Greeks I believe and refers to the fact that a pure and innocent virgin could carry water in a sieve without spilling a drop. Hence Elizabeth is saying, "Forget the ugly rumours about me and Dudley" !!<br /><br />In a portait believed to be that of Amy Robsart, the sitter is wearing a brooch that must refer to the Dudley family - it is framed with gillyflowers (for love although Shakespeare says that the gillyflower is a sign of promiscuity!) and an oak staff. I have made this the central theme of my historical novel "The Manner of Amy's Death".azurwriterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15279926911858366490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16981893.post-8038481424083378022014-05-12T18:47:07.579-05:002014-05-12T18:47:07.579-05:00I am not sure what you mean by "really hidden...I am not sure what you mean by "really hidden." Elizabethan portrait images do sometimes contain a lot of symbolic objects that are often difficult to interpret today. But there are also those who claim to find things ... both objects and writing ... quite literally hidden in places like the veining of a marble column or the shadows on a wall. I am reminded of the claims of "hidden codes" in the Mona Lisa, for example. Most of those claims are, in my opinion, crackpot nonsense. How effective can symbols or propaganda *be* if they are "hidden"? Propaganda, in particular, is effective only if it is readily detectable, i.e. NOT hidden.PhD Historianhttp://www.somegreymatter.comnoreply@blogger.com