The Rainbow

• Rainbows were meant to symbolise peace, with the old Latin Motto, ‘Non Sine Sole Iris’: ‘no rainbow without the sun

The Serpent

• A serpent is embroidered on Elizabeth’s sleeve in the Rainbow Portrait, with a heart-shaped ruby in its mouth. The serpent is thought to represent wisdom and the ruby Elizabeth’s heart, implying that the Queen’s wisdom controls her emotions.

Eyes and Ears

• The eyes and ears painted into the fabric of Elizabeth’s dress in the rainbow portrait clearly imply a sense of omniscience; as a queen, she was able to hear and see all. The addition is thought to refer to hymns to Astraea by sir john Davis.

• The pelican was one of Elizabeth’s favorite symbols, used to portray her motherly love of her subjects.• In times of food shortages, mother pelicans

were believed to pluck their own breasts to feed their dying young with their blood and save their lives.• The mother died in the process and during

the Middle Ages the pelican came to represent Jesus sacrificing himself on the cross for the good of mankind and the sacrament of communion, feeding the faithful with his body and blood.

• A phoenix is a mythological bird which never dies but, after 500 years, is consumed by fire and born again, making it a symbol of the Resurrection, endurance and eternal life. Only one phoenix lives at a time, so it was also used to symbolize Elizabeth’s uniqueness and longevity.

The Ermine Portrait c.1585

The ermine is an animal of the weasel family prized for its tail of pure white fur with a black tip. According to the legend the ermine world rather die than soil its pure white coat and it came to stand for purity. It features in many of Elizabeth’s portraits, where it also functions as a status symbol, as wearing ermine was restricted to royalty and high nobility.

• Gloves represent elegance, olive branches peace, and crowns, orbs and sceptres signify monarchy.• Dogs represent faithfulness. The breed associated with the Tudors

was greyhound.