March 5, 2010 11:36 AMA bizarre coiled serpent has mysteriously appeared in the the hands of Queen Elizabeth I in a 16th century painting held by the National Portrait Gallery.
As the paint used in the image of the Tudor queen has deteriorated, the bunch of roses she was holding have slowly become a coiled snake.
The unknown artist behind the 1580s work had originally painted Queen Elizabeth holding the snake but covered it up with the flowers.
It's not know why the snake was removed, but experts think it could have been due to the ambiguity of the emblem which could have represented anything from wisdom to sin. And the 16th century was not a time to upset a monarch. Dr Tarnya Cooper says: "The recent technical analysis on these remarkable portraits has been critical to our understanding of Tudor painting.
"The portrait of Elizabeth I with a hidden serpent is a really unusual survival. Yet, it is difficult to know exactly why the serpent may have been originally included, or how common this motif might have been.
"The queen certainly owned jewelry and costume including emblems of serpents, which were probably understood as a symbol of wisdom. However no other portrait of Elizabeth appears to depict her holding a snake.
"The current condition of the picture has meant it has not been on display for decades and this display provides an exciting opportunity to present it to the public alongside other key portraits."
The revelations about this painting will form a new display Concealed and Revealed: The Changing Faces of Elizabeth I from 13 March at the National Portrait Gallery.
LINKS
National Portrait Gallery
Picture credit: National Portrait Gallery, London
http://newslite.tv/2010/03/05/odd-snake-appears-in-400yearol.html
See also: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/mar/04/queen-portrait-serpent-elizabeth1-gallery
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