Elizabethan Ideals of Beauty

For my initial research I have begun to delve in to the Elizbethan era, investigating what was considered 'beautiful' in this period.

"It would be true to say that no single individual has ever exerted such an influence on the fashions and beauty of a period'

The Artifical Face, Fenja Gunn 1973, pg 73

"In the Queen was personified the Elizabethan ideal of beauty" 

The Artificial Face, Fenja Gunn 1973, pg 74

From these two quotes I hold that it would be safe to say that Elizabeth didn't just follow trends during her reign as queen, she was the one who set the standard. I conclude that in my research it would be wise to look to images of her to gauge a firm understanding of what constituted 'beauty' during this time. 

(Portrait of Elizabeth I in coronation robes, 1959 unknown artist http://tinyurl.com/mtylxxh)

The image above shows Elizabeth I at the age of 25, the year she was crowned queen of England. From this you can see her complexion was incredibly pale, almost white and translucent. Her eyebrows can barely be seen and her strawberry blonde hair flows down her shoulders and back, this could have possibly been a representation of her unmarried state as married women in this era often wore their hair up. Despite the colourless complexion, a flush can be seen in the lips and cheeks. Im very fond of the contrast between the creaminess of Elizabeth's porcelain complexion and fiery red tones found in her hair colour. 

Elizabeth's forehead does appear quite large in this portrait and among others, a sign of nobility in this period. 

"She also plucked her eyebrows and forehead to reveal a great expanse of white skin" 

The Artificial Face, Fenja Gunn 1973 pg 85

This quote really drives home to me the extent Elizabeth would go to to ensure she portrayed the appropriate image of herself, every care is taken to give the impression of power and nobility. 

(Portrait of Elizabeth 1, Unknown artist Circa 1588 http://tinyurl.com/oek7fuc) 

This later portrait of Elizabeth in her 50's also displays many of the Elizabethan conventions of beauty. Her hair appears much darker in tone, possibly due to treatments used to maintain colour, although it is known that Elizabeth owned many wigs. Again, her hairline is pushed back to reveal a long pale forehead. her complexion is almost translucent with plucked eyebrows drawing attention to the eyes, which appear dark and small. In this portrait I also notice the emphasis on pearls, in almost every portrait of Elizabeth Ive seen she is adorned with pearls around the décolletage and as well as placed within the hair.