Terms and Conditions
The artist, title and date of the work must be listed anywhere the image is reproduced:
England
Portrait of a lady 1570
oil on wood panel
42.0 × 29.5 cm
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1933
Photo: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Where possible, the image must be reproduced in full (no cropping or over-printing). If you wish to use a detail of the work, a full reproduction of the work must also be reproduced elsewhere in the publication.
While the NGV believes this work to be in the Public Domain, it is the responsibility of the publisher to ensure that no further permissions are required for use.
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About this work
The art of portraiture flourished during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England, between 1558 and 1603. In Elizabethan portraiture the sitter was typically shown in a static pose and dressed in attire that conveyed his or her wealth and social standing. Greater emphasis was placed on sitters’ rank or family history than on their personality; evident in this portrait of an elegantly attired woman who was probably a member of Elizabeth’s court. Consequently, Elizabethan portraiture provides a snapshot of the wealthy at a time when England was a world superpower.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
England
Inscription
inscribed in white paint u.l.: 1570
inscribed in white paint u.r.: Æ T 19
Accession Number
4694-3
Department
International Painting
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Dame Carol Colburn-Grigor CBE through Metal Manufactures Limited
Subjects (general)
Portraits
Subjects (specific)
bodices collars (neckwear) dresses (garments) jewellery ruffs three-quarter views women (female humans)
Movements
Elizabethan
Frame
Reproduction, 2011, based on a British frame from (c. 1540)
Frame
The former framing of Portrait of a Lady (1570) was made by the company of John Thallon, possibly at the time of acquisition in 1933 and at the request of then Director, Bernard Hall. It is in the manner of 17th century Spanish frames (see above image).
The painting was cleaned and restored in 2011, and a new frame constructed to more accurately reflect English frames from the 16th century. These frames pay direct reference to the styles that grew out of the Low Countries in the 15th and 16th centuries, using painted surfaces and limited passages of gilding, the basic profiles being of the Italian cassetta form.
The new frame was copied from original frames on portraits of Edward IV and Henry VI in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London (NPG). Profile drawings were provided by the NPG and the frame constructed from European oak using the joinery, painting and gilding of the period, distressed and toned to sit comfortably with the painting.
Frame Details
Framemaker
Reproduction - crafted by the NGV
Date
2011
Materials
European oak, painted and gilded.