Linda Ganstrom

 

 

Linda Ganstrom

Bell(e): Elizabeth

Porcelain figure stained and painted on wrought iron skirt

Life Scale







 

 

 

Elizabeth I of England, Elizabeth Tudor

 

Inspiration and Celebration

Known as The Virgin Queen or Glorianna, or even Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth I of England lived from September 7, 1533 to March 24, 1603 (Died age 70).

Elizabeth was Queen Regent of England and Ireland from 1558 – 1603 (44 years)

She was the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn.  She believed in religious tolerance and helped establish the English Protestant Church, now the Church of England. Well educated, Elizabeth spoke 5 languages.

 Elizabeth was a moderate ruler advised by a trusted set of ministers.  Her defeat of the invading Spanish Armada was her greatest military victory. She employed unusual tactics to gain power and wealth by secretly supporting pirates such as Sir Frances Drake and helped establish England as a naval power. She reigned over the Elizabethan era, is perhaps best known for sponsoring the flowering of drama during the age of Shakespeare and Marlowe.

From her many portraits, we know Elizabeth had brown eyes, pale skin, reddish golden hair, a hooked nose, thin lips, long fingers and fingernails, and blackened teeth. She was 5’3” to 5’ 5” height.  She remained slender and died with an 18” waist, her corset in is the crypt of Westminster Abbey in London. In 1562 smallpox left her half bald and scarred. She employed makeup, wigs and costumes to craft a formidable image of power and might. Elizabeth never married and had no recognized children.

 As a Bell(e), I imagine Elizabeth with her arms flung open to offer herself to her people.  Dressed to impress, clad in the trappings of power and beauty, this small woman exudes the will to govern and enlighten while leading the artistic movement we call the Elizabethan Age.