Mary Beard on the Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I

Historian Mary Beard reveals the hidden symbolism of the Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I, one of the most iconic images of the Tudor Queen.
The painting shows Elizabeth I at the height of her reign - but perhaps it tells us more about the price a woman pays to have power...
What do you see?
See the three surviving versions of the Armada Portrait at the free art exhibition Faces of a Queen.
Visit the Queen's House Art Gallery in Greenwich now.
Find out more: www.rmg.co.uk/facesofaqueen
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[@pagerkyma]

This is cut exquisitely

[@thatartistyouknow]

Beautiful narration of the portrait. Thank you

[@velvetindigonight]

Fascinating insights! Thank you

[@adoreeamber.x]

I always get like streams of power just from looking at the picture

[@hotmusterdspam6404]

mtcheew she looks so plump because of her clothes, but she might have been super skinny!😂😂😂

[@pneron2032]

Feminists: "Stop concentrating on my body!" Feminist professor: "Outrage! The queen's body is totally concealed!"

[@leecoppack5182]

Mary Beard does not say that it is an outrage that Elizabeth's body is concealed. She merely argues that in is so as to make her less obviously female as a woman with power. It's up to the listener whether that's an outrage.

[@steviewonderisnotblind5833]

I lost a few thousand neurons reading this comment

[@pneron2032]

@@leecoppack5182 Beard's is a stupid point. The portrait does *nothing* to conceal that E is a woman: everything from the jewellery, to the hair, to the wasteline and the *dress* makes it very unambiguous that she is a woman. Feminists of a certain kind just find it hard not to weave their all purpose narratives into everything.

[@pneron2032]

@@steviewonderisnotblind5833 Trite, empty comments are certainly easier that formulating a coherent thought...