Month: March 2010

I know I’m way late with this, but better late than never!

News release from The National Portrait Gallery:

MYSTERY SNAKE REVEALED IN ELIZABETH I PORTRAIT. NEW RESEARCH SHOWS CHANGING FACES OF THE TUDOR QUEEN

Scientific detective work has revealed a mysterious coiled serpent in the hands of Queen Elizabeth I, which was painted out by the artist shortly afterwards, in a portrait at the National Portrait Gallery. It has also been revealed that this portrait of the queen, which has not been on display at the Gallery since 1921, was painted over an unfinished portrait of an unknown sitter. The revelations about this painting and three others of the Tudor queen will form a new display, Concealed and Revealed: The Changing Faces of Elizabeth I, from 13 March at the National Portrait Gallery as part of the Making Art in Tudor Britain project led by Dr Tarnya Cooper.
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Concealed and Revealed: The Changing Faces of Elizabeth I runs from 13 March – 26 September 2010 in Room 2 of the National Portrait Gallery.

Full text of news release

Additional articles:

Art Daily: New Research: Mystery Snake Revealed in Elizabeth I Portrait

BBC: Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I reveals secret snake

The Daily Mail Online: The Queen’s loyal serpent: 400 years on, a painted-over snake reappears on portrait of Elizabeth I

The Guardian: Portrait of Elizabeth I reveals she held serpent where a posy now appears

The Independent: The Virgin Queen, the serpent and the doctored portrait