Elizabeth I and Three Goddesses. In Elizabeth I and the Three Goddesses, attributed to Hans Eworth, the story of the Judgement of Paris is turned on its head.
Elizabeth, rather than Paris, is now sent to choose among Juno, Venus, and Pallas-Minerva, all of whom are outshone by the queen with her crown and royal orb. As Susan Doran writes, Implicit to the theme of the painting is the idea that Elizabeth's retention of royal power benefits her realm.
Whereas Paris's judgement in the original myth resulted in the long Trojan Wars to the utter ruin of the Trojans, hers will conversely bring peace and order to the state after the turbulent reign of Elizabeth's sister Mary I. The latter theme lies behind the 1572 The Family of Henry VIII: An Allegory of the Tudor Succession. In this image, Catholic Mary and her husband Philip II of Spain are accompanied by Mars the god of War on the left, while Protestant Elizabeth on the right ushers in the goddesses Peace and Plenty.
An inscription states that this painting was a gift from the queen to Francis Walsingham as a Mark of her people's and her own content and this may indicate that it commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Blois which established an alliance between England and France against Spanish aggression in the Netherlands during Walsingham's tour of duty as ambassador to the French court. Strong identifies both paintings as celebrations of Elizabeth's just ru
Elizabeth, rather than Paris, is now sent to choose among Juno, Venus, and Pallas-Minerva, all of whom are outshone by the queen with her crown and royal orb. As Susan Doran writes, Implicit to the theme of the painting is the idea that Elizabeth's retention of royal power benefits her realm.
Whereas Paris's judgement in the original myth resulted in the long Trojan Wars to the utter ruin of the Trojans, hers will conversely bring peace and order to the state after the turbulent reign of Elizabeth's sister Mary I. The latter theme lies behind the 1572 The Family of Henry VIII: An Allegory of the Tudor Succession. In this image, Catholic Mary and her husband Philip II of Spain are accompanied by Mars the god of War on the left, while Protestant Elizabeth on the right ushers in the goddesses Peace and Plenty.
An inscription states that this painting was a gift from the queen to Francis Walsingham as a Mark of her people's and her own content and this may indicate that it commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Blois which established an alliance between England and France against Spanish aggression in the Netherlands during Walsingham's tour of duty as ambassador to the French court. Strong identifies both paintings as celebrations of Elizabeth's just ru
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