Why Queen Elizabeth’s Dress is Covered With Eyes and Ears
<p>This image is known as the <em>Rainbow Portrait</em> <em>of Elizabeth I</em>, who was the Queen of England and Ireland from 1558 until 1603.</p>
<p>The title of the painting comes from the curious shape that Elizabeth clutches in her right hand, which is in fact a rainbow. The rainbow is a symbol of peace and represents the Queen’s magnanimity.</p>
<p>Yet, perhaps the most striking detail of the painting is the series of eyes and ears that adorn her dress.</p>
<p><img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:700/1*yjkXBa3kX4QPNI2Ncv8VSw.jpeg" style="height:408px; width:700px" /></p>
<p>Detail of ‘The <em>Rainbow Portrait</em> of Queen Elizabeth I’ (c.1602). Attributed to Isaac Oliver. Oil on canvas. 127 × 99.1 cm. Hatfield House, Hertfordshire, UK. Image source <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Elizabeth_I_Rainbow_Portrait.jpg" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></p>
<p>Floating like a series of overlapping faces, the array of eyes and ears amid the folds of her dress was intended to show that the Queen sees and hears all. Elizabeth had a formidable spy network that she drew upon to warn of challenges to her reign. The head of state, the portrait tells us, controls a close system of surveillance.</p>
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