Ditchley Portrait Analysis

A Historical Approach to the Ditchley Portrait of Elizabeth Elizabeth I had been the queen of England for fifty years and was the last monarch who came from the line of Tudor.She is also known for her virginity.Her impact on era is so vast that it is called as Elizabethan Era or Golden Age which is the time of flourishment in all fields of art, the rise of humanism thoughts and the colonialism with the Renaissance and the geographical discoveries. The Ditchley Portrait was painted for Sir Henry Lee who was the Champion of Elizabeth for years and the name of portrait supposedly came from the place where he lived.
With the Renaissance, idea of humanism comes into being and it affects the all points of view to the life. It takes place as portraits in paintings.Throughout the time, it has been seen that kings and queens tries to prove themselves as a true king or queen and want to be known through generations via paintings. In a way, it brings a kind of idealization to the portraits. The Ditchley Portrait is one of the paintings reflects the idealization of Queen Elizabeth.
First of all, the world map or globe world which she stands on shows her ruling power. At the same time, she may not only running the country but also other new discovered places as a result of colonialism. The portrait is divided into two parts as dark and light. Elizabeth turns her face to the bright side and leaves the darkness behind herself. It may mean that the bad days of past stayed behind the Queen Elizabeth, she will bring the light to the country. There is an implication for queen about true monarch which brings about idealization of Elizabeth. There are also some Latin inscriptions in dark and light parts of the portrait which can be translated