Queen Elizabeth I ('Elizabeth I and the Three Goddesses')

attributed to Isaac Oliver
watercolour and bodycolour on vellum, circa 1588
4 1/2 in. x 6 1/8 in. (115 mm x 157 mm)
Purchased with support from Mark Weiss and the Portrait Fund, 2012
Primary Collection
NPG 6947

Sitterback to top

Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603), Reigned 1558-1603. Sitter associated with 135 portraits.

Artistback to top

Isaac Oliver (circa 1565-1617), Miniature painter. Artist or producer associated with 72 portraits, Sitter in 5 portraits.

This portraitback to top

This previously unknown small-scale painting reinterprets the theme of Elizabeth and the three goddesses, also depicted in an oil painting of this title in the Royal Collection. The subject is a reworking of the classical legend known as the 'Judgement of Paris', in which a golden apple is awarded by Paris to the fairest of the three goddesses, the outcome of which led to the Trojan War. Here, rather than repeat Paris's folly, Elizabeth retains the golden orb for herself as she alone combines their separate virtues. The subject was designed to flatter the Queen, implying that the outcome of her reign would be peace and not war. The exceptionally high quality of this painting suggests that it may have been painted for the Elizabeth herself, or for someone close to her.

Linked publicationsback to top

Bolland, Charlotte, Tudor & Jacobean Portraits, 2018, p. 148 Read entry
Elizabeth I's imagery became increasingly emblematic and allegorical throughout her reign as it became clear that she would not marry. This large 'cabinet' miniature reworks the classical legend of the Judgement of Paris, in which a golden apple was given to Paris to award to the goddess whom he thought to be the fairest, the outcome of which led to the Trojan War. Here, rather than repeat Paris's folly, Elizabeth retains the golden orb for herself as she combines the separate virtues of Juno, Pallas Athena and Venus; the subject was designed to flatter the queen by implying that the outcome of her reign would be peace rather than war. Hans Eworth created a similar image of Elizabeth in 1569 in an oil painting (Royal Collection), and it is possible that Oliver created this reworked version as a gift to present to the queen. The style of the queen's clothing suggests that the miniature dates from the late 1580s, and it is notable that Elizabeth's likeness seems very stylised in comparison to Oliver's individual portrait miniatures from the same period. It is likely that he did not have personal access to take the queen's portrait during this early period in his career, and he may instead have used one of Nicholas Hilliard's miniatures as a reference to create the image.
Bolland, Charlotte; Cooper, Tarnya, The Real Tudors: Kings and Queens Rediscovered, 2014 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 12th September 2014 to 1st March 2015), p. 134
Cooper, Tarnya, Elizabeth I & Her People, 2013 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 10 October 2013 - 5 January 2014), p. 60
MacLeod, Catharine; Rab, MacGibbon; Button, Victoria; Coombs, Katherine; Derbyshire, Alan, Elizabethan Treasures: Miniatures from Hilliard and Oliver, 2019 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 21 February - 19 May 2019), p. 108
Various contributors, National Portrait Gallery: A Portrait of Britain, 2014, p. 73

Linked displays and exhibitionsback to top

The Real Tudors: Kings and Queens Rediscovered (12 September 2014 - 1 March 2015)
Elizabeth I and Her People (10 October 2013 - 5 January 2014)

Portrait setback to top

Miniatures: Highlights

Subjects & Themesback to top

Mediaback to top

Events of 1588back to top

Current affairs

The Spanish Armada sets sail for England from Lisbon but after a running battle up the Channel is met by English fire ships off Calais and destroyed. The remainder of the fleet is forced to flee. A huge thanksgiving service is held at St Paul's Cathedral to celebrate the victory.
Death of Queen Elizabeth I's favourite Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.

Art and science

The scientist and colonist Thomas Harriot publishes A Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia, in which he claims that tobacco has medicinal properties.
Publication of William Morgan's Welsh translation of the Bible.
The playwright Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy is performed for the first time.

International

Henry III of France flees Paris after the militant catholic Henry, Duke of Guise is welcomed into the city. The King is forced to decree an end to all toleration of the Huguenots (French Protestants) and to annul the Protestant Henry of Navarre's right to the throne. The Duke of Guise is later assassinated on the orders of the King.
Abbas I became Shah of Persia. He will rule the Persian Empire until his death in 1629.

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