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Queen Elizabeth I, “The Rainbow Portrait"Queen Elizabeth I, “The Rainbow Portrait"PreviousNext

Isaac Oliver

Born France, 1565; died England, 1617

Queen Elizabeth I, “The Rainbow Portrait", ca. 1600

Oil on canvas

Queen Elizabeth was excommunicated, or cut off, from the Catholic Church in 1570, isolating England among its powerful Catholic neighbors. To compensate, she maintained delicate relationships with both Ahmad al-Mansur, the sultan of Morocco, and Murad III, the sultan of the Ottoman Empire. The spectacular imported silks, pearls, rubies, and other precious gems featured in this portrait of Elizabeth were symbols of cosmopolitan wealth in England and are reminders of the importance of Anglo-Islamic trade.

“To the Most Serene Queen of England… Just as the sun gives light with its rays over the earth, Your Majesty’s power and greatness extend throughout the entire universe… The most serene Queen [Safiye] is sending Your Majesty… a robe and a girdle and two handkerchiefs worked with gold and three worked with silk according to the custom of this kingdom and a necklace of pearls and rubies.” - Esperanza Malchi, in a letter to Queen Elizabeth on behalf of Safiye, consort to Sultan Murad III, 16 November 1599