Anastacia
Queens are a very important part of any monarchy. They stand by and support their kings, giving them advice on vital matters of state and encouraging them whenever needed. Some have even ruled by themselves, taking their whole country into their own hands. Therefore, it is only natural that from the beginning of time queens have been the subjects of many different forms of art.
One of these queens who ruled by herself was Queen Hatshepsut in Ancient Egypt. Her rule lasted for twenty prosperous and peaceful years and so in about 1500B.C. she was commemorated in this bust which was taken from her funerary temple. Since she was the ruler and there was no pharaoh ruling with her, she is shown in idealized male pharaoh dress. To spite this, her figure and face are definitely feminine. Her rank is also shown in the fact that she is portrayed in perfect, rigid Egyptian style. Her face is expressionless, without a wrinkle or blemish on it. This is how the ancient Egyptians showed all their pharaohs. They were in idealized form to show that they were gods on Earth. Those who were lower in rank were not shown in this form. They were shown basically how they truly were. The perfection in this bust shows that while she may have been a woman, the Egyptians considered her as good as any pharaoh and appreciated her as a wonderful queen.
Another important queen who did not rule on her own but was greatly involved in just about everything that her husband did was Theodora, wife of Justinian I, during the Byzantine Empire. She was the vital influence behind much of the improvements and events during her husbands reign. She is shown in this mosaic the Church of San Vitale at Ravenna in Northern Italy with her attendants. The way she is portrayed, as in the bust of Hatshepsut, shows her rank in the style of the time. This is done using a frontal view with a focus on her eyes, facial expression, and hands which are holding a golden cup with wine for an offertory procession. Her face looks calm, sure, and noble as in the Egyptian style. The color is also important in this. Her purple robes and intricate crown design show her to be the queen and the simple vertical folds in her clothing show her power. The many bright colors, especially gold, indicate the richness of the empire under her and Justinian’s rule. Theodora brought many good things too the empire during her reign and this is all shown through her mosaic.
The Medieval Queen, Queen Bertha, although not as well known as some of the others we have discussed so far, was also important to her kingdom. She was the first Christian Queen of Kent and so she and her converted husband, King Ethelbert, founded Canterbury Cathedral in 597. They were honored for their work in statues set into niches in the walls of the cathedral. Queen Bertha, like the other queens we have looked at, shows the sign of her title through the crown she wears on her head. She is on a pedestal, looking slightly down on her subjects as they look up at her. This is also a sign of rank but is very different from the way it is shown in Egyptian times, when staring straight ahead would show rank. She is attached to the wall, as was the way in medieval times, to help support the statue. She stands straight and her face is again calm and noble but she does not seem rigid as the other two queens did. Her softer expression gives her a kinder look, as if she is caring for her subjects rather than ruling over them. The statue seems to show both the power and care and monarch must have at the same time, which was not done prior to this.
Queen Elizabeth I was very important to the Renaissance period. She ruled alone, encouraging drama and art during her time, including this work of her called “The Ermine Portrait” by Nicholas Hilliard. Here she is shown with her beloved ermine for which she had a pearl collar made. Pearls were very rare, expensive, and fashionable during this time so in this portrait her power and the richness of the kingdom is shown through the many pearls and other gems sown into her dress that was the height of fashion at the time. The decorative crown on her head also reveals her title. The style shown here is much more relaxed than ever seen before. Queen Elizabeth I is sitting with one arm slightly on her hip while that hand holds an olive branch, which symbolizes the peace within the kingdom that she tried to achieve. The other arm is on an arm rest along with a sword and an ermine with a crown around its neck. The sword shows the justice she wanted everyone to have, while the ermine represents the virginity and innocence of the queen. This is a great difference from the usual depiction of the queen because now there is an emphasis on her character as a person and what she herself was like. Queen Elizabeth refused to be tied down with the political compromises that came with royal marriages. This came to be a symbol national independence. This is a big change from the way they used to show queens. Her head is turned slightly to the side but she, like all the other works we have looked at, looks straight at her viewer. Her face is also similar to the other queens in the fact that there is not a wrinkle or blemish on it and it is also on the pale side, a fashion for the time. This fashion showed that she did not have to go out into the sun and work which would give her a tan. It showed her high status to have a pale face. Like the other queens, showing status and power was an important part of the overall work of art, but, because of the Renaissance, there is also an emphasis on the character of the subject.
The present Queen of England is Elizabeth II. The well-known artist, Lucien Freud requested to paint her in May of 2000. This painter is known for the realism with which he paints and this can definitely be seen here. She is certainly not shown in idealized form as the other queens had been. This caused much controversy. Many were angry at the way he made their monarch look and were surprised that Freud had the audacity to paint a queen in his usual penetrating style. However, Modern art, especially that of Lucien Freud, is often about confronting reality and the reality of the situation is that Elizabeth II is no longer a young lady. Freud wanted to emphasize this while still showing the great power that she holds by having the diamond crown that Elizabeth II wears for the opening of the British parliament and on stamps and bank notes. What she wears, like with all the other queens we have seen, shows that she is a queen. Her face, also like the other pieces of art, is expressionless which gives her a noble look and causes you to look at the detail of the work. This painting is very different in the fact that is does not idealize the queen. She is shown as she truly is and that is a new and controversial idea.
Queens are a very important part of any monarchy and so it is only right that they be remembered and commemorated through art. While the times and styles have changed, one thing has stayed the same. Queens are the embodiment of the power and richness of their country and the art has always showed this.
