In the Tudor Era, miniatures were private images, meant to be shared with intimate friends. They were often exchanged, and often worn on chains or hung from brooches.The earliest surviving portrait of Elizabeth I, she is shown here between the ages of twelve and fourteen years old. The portrait, probably painted for the collection of King Henry VIII, is one of a pair, the other featured her half-brother Edward (later King Edward VI).
The full-sized portrait, now in the collection of Her Majesty the Queen, hangs in Windsor Castle.
The miniature, painted in the traditional style using traditional materials arrives in a 2.5" diameter gold-metal round frame with a pendant loop.
