Royal portrait returns to city following conservation work

A mysterious portrait believed to be of Queen Elizabeth I has gone on display at Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery.

'Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I' is featured in a new-look version of the Museum’s popular ‘Women in Art’ exhibition, following expert conservation treatment funded through a grant from the Woodmansterne Art Conservation Awards 2012/13.

The portrait is painted on four large oak panels, the joints of which had become unstable with age and were in danger of moving apart. The painted surface also had many old cracks and fills in it and a layer of old yellowing varnish was obscuring its true colour.

Conservator Seonaid Wood removed the varnish and began the painstaking work of conserving the portrait several months ago. As part of the conservation process an x-ray of the portrait was also undertaken to find out what might be lurking underneath the top layers of paint.

“The results of the x-ray were really fascinating,” said Fine Art Curator, Emma Philip. “They showed that the composition of the painting had been altered at some point by the artist and that Queen Elizabeth’s image may well have been painted on top of another female figure from an earlier date. This finding reinforced the results of research carried out as part of the National Inventory Project, an initiative that studies and documents pre-1900 European paintings in British collections. This suggested that the painting is not actually Tudor (1485-1603) in age at all, but instead dates from the late 1600s or early 1700s.”

The portrait is displayed alongside some other Elizabethan-related items from the Museum and Art Gallery’s collections, including a book that is said to contain a signature written in Elizabeth I’s own hand.

The painting forms part of the Women in Art exhibition, which looks at the role of women as subjects and artists from Renaissance times to the present day.

Opening hours for the exhibition are 10am to 5.30pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 5pm on Saturdays. On certain days, the gallery that the exhibition is on display in is used for events and access may be restricted. If people are planning a special visit to the Museum to view the exhibition they are advised to check what’s on that day by telephoning 01752 304774 or visiting www.plymouthmuseum.gov.uk. Admission to the exhibition is free.

Visitors can get a more detailed insight into the Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I and the conservation work it has undergone at 1pm on Wednesday 24 July, when Emma Philip will give an ‘Art Bite’ talk on the subject. Admission to the Art Bite is free but tickets must be reserved in advance from the Museum Welcome Desk or by calling 01752 304774.