Review by Booklist Review
"Few works of art participate in so many dimensions of a society as do portraits, especially portraits of a ruler," insists Pomeroy as he introduces this brief analysis of the portraiture of the Virgin Queen. Pomeroy suggests that the 135 extant portraits form a steady chronology, "a linear sequence which ultimately resolves itself into biography." He includes here 10 plates, along with analyses of their styles and contents, taking exception to David Piper (The English Face, 1978), who suggested that with Elizabethan portraits, everything depends on knowing who the sitter is. Rather, Pomeroy suggests that the cultural implications of a painting exist irrespective of the sitter, in "codes, signs, and voices." Bibliography and index appended. --Allen Weakland
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
