GHEERAERTS, Marcus the Younger
(b. 1561, Brugge, d. ca. 1636, London)

Portrait of Queen Elisabeth I

1590s
Oil on canvas, 176 x 144 cm
Galleria Palatina (Palazzo Pitti), Florence

In this painting, Elizabeth wears a queen's ransom in pearls and jewels on a gown which she wore in more than one portrait. The slightly wooden quality, enlivened by a mix of patterns, gives the work a hieratic tone.

The portrait is the work of a painter from the school of Gheeraerts.