Final Elizabethan Portrait & Contemporary Inspiration - Photographer: Hyea W. Kang, Vogue Korea October 2012

Portrait of Unknown Lady, 1595, Oil paint on Wood, Attributed to Marcus Gheeraerts II
http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/gheeraerts-portrait-of-an-unknown-lady-t07699

This portrait is my chosen image for my Elizabethan project as it is a perfect example of Elizabethan beauty without featuring Queen Elizabeth, who features within a mass majority of portraits. I personally wanted to feature an image that despite nobility, reflected a different female figure. This portrait entitled 'Unknown Lady' was a fitting example of how despite being a different woman, the traits of Elizabethan cosmetic beauty are heavily defined making the women within the painting almost a reflection of the Queen herself. The costume of the female sitter is a gorgeous white lace dress that is decorated completely from head to toe in pearls, from a wider angle the woman within the portrait is visibly pregnant. Due to her class the child would most likely be from within a marriage, however the use of the pearls and white which connotes virginity is almost ironic. Although the woman is dressed in virginal colours it is apparent she is far from it, more over is the fact that advertisement of very late pregnancy in such a way as this was frowned upon as it was considered a childbirth was to be unseen by men, perhaps the reason for her missing name, and women who flounced their sexuality were frowned upon. Much like the rumours surrounding Elizabeth the desperation for women to present themselves as Virgins is a lost cause and fake, in fact the whole blatancy of the woman being in the late stages of pregnancy within this portrait is completely abnormal for the paintings of the period. Regardless the pale face, rouged lips and cheeks that are visible within all Elizabethan portraits are again painted within this image to convey the woman's autocratic and wise status within society, but also enhance the illusion of youth that was so desired within the period. However within this portrait there are a number of differences for example, the brows are somewhat darker than other paintings and the hair is a deeper brown than strawberry blonde. Purely based on this small difference, historically this women would not have been considered as desirable as another as she lacks in the full features of a fairer woman, perhaps this is why her name is missing from the portrait as she is not important nor beautiful enough for recognition. Regardless to a contemporary eye the woman within this painting is still an example of Elizabethan cosmetic beauty and for this reason I have chosen this portrait. Personally the darker tones within this woman's features and the taboo context of the sitters personal situation sets her apart from the other portraits of the era as through her presentation she embodies the difficulty in the standards faced by women in achieving a aesthetic similar to that of Elizabeth I and also the restrictions set upon women through even the most natural occurrences such as child birth. The painting itself is the first recorded portrait that depicts a woman of pregnancy and was therefore considered a taboo image.  

Hyea W. Kang, Vogue, October 2012
http://fashioncopious.typepad.com/fashioncopious/2012/10/gothic-elegance-by-hyea-w-kang-for-vogue-korea-october-2012-editorial.html
This inspirational image for a contemporary Elizabethan makeup look is reflective of the above portrait through the use of black fabrics and dark tones portraying wealth and status, but the makeup within this image reflects a modern avant grade take on the classic conventions of historical beauty such as the painted pale skin, high forehead and plucked brows. This look includes the darker tones of Elizabethan portraiture however it carries a gothic essence perhaps reflecting the superstition surrounding women who didn't fulfil these Virginal standards of beauty and often faced accusations of witchcraft and torturous punishments. A superstition of the period that interests me due to how it heavily affected public views of women, this is connoted through the darker colours, deep contours and blood red lip. Kang's work captures the essence of a dark Elizabethan beauty and the use of bruised brush strokes of the gold and purple makeup capture the portraiture details of Elizabethan regality within the original paintings but also the deep layers of oil colour paint used to construct the paintings themselves. This image connects to my historical portrait as I feel it is a visual link to the emotional issues that faced women of the period, the colour scheme of purples and reds reflects the emotional bruising undergone by the Elizabethan woman as she battled constant judgement due to her gender, behaviour and religious followings. 

Article Reference: Embodied and Enacted: Performances of Maternity in Early Modern England, Kathryn M. Moncrief and Kathryn R. McPherson, Chapter One