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Princess Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia and Electress Palatine

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- subject matching 'Jewellery - Earrings'

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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Princess Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia and Electress Palatine

by Robert Peake the Elder
oil on canvas, circa 1610
67 1/2 in. x 38 1/8 in. (1713 mm x 968 mm)
Purchased, 1991
Primary Collection
NPG 6113

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  • Robert Peake the Elder (circa 1551-1619), Portrait and decorative painter. Artist associated with 9 portraits.

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  • 100 Portraits, p. 30
  • Audio Guide
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    When James VI of Scotland ascended the throne of England as James I in 1603, one of the major factors in the optimism felt by the English public was the fact that James, unlike his predecessor Elizabeth I, had a family: an heir, a 'spare' and a marriageable daughter. Henry Prince of Wales was seen as a particularly promising prince. Brave, handsome, clever, athletic, noble, cultured and ardently Protestant, he became the focus for courtiers who advocated a more militant foreign policy, and for those who sought to make London a great cultural centre in Europe. His unexpected death from typhoid fever at the age of eighteen led to widespread grief, both within his family and among the wider population.

    Elizabeth, James's daughter, was also a focus for hope and expectation, and an important pawn in the game of international royal marriage negotiations. She was married at the age of sixteen to Frederick, Elector Palatine, a German Protestant prince from Heidelberg. In 1659, Frederick took the disastrous decision to accept the throne of Bohemia, and he and Elizabeth moved to Prague, where they reigned for less than a year before being ousted by the armies of the Roman Catholic Habsburg emperor, Ferdinand II. The rest of Elizabeth's life, much of it as a widow, was lived in exile in The Hague, where she worked hard to keep her plight and that of her children in the minds of her allies, and came to symbolise militant Protestantism as the tragic 'Winter Queen'.

    Robert Peake, the artist, jointly held the post of Serjeant Painter. He was responsible for much of the decorative painting at court, but also painted numerous portraits of the royal children. He shows Henry in a pose and setting that echo those in a portrait of Edward VI, his predecessor as Prince of Wales. The view through the window is thought to represent the grounds of Richmond Palace, which Henry had redesigned. Peake's portrait of Elizabeth, like that of her brother (NPG 4515), draws attention to her rich clothing and jewellery, including a ruby and diamond brooch pinned to her hair, and a diamond chain across her chest, advertising her eligibility as a wealthy and beautiful potential bride.

  • Ribeiro, Aileen, The Gallery of Fashion, 2000, p. 59
  • Various contributors, National Portrait Gallery: A Portrait of Britain, 2014, p. 68 Read entry

    Elizabeth, named after her godmother Elizabeth I, was the daughter of James VI of Scotland and I of England. The first royal princess in England for fifty years, she was the focus of much attention and expectation. As a child, she was briefly in danger of abduction by the Gunpowder Plotters, who planned to place her on the throne as a Catholic puppet queen, after blowing up her father and older brother in the House of Lords.

    At the age of sixteen, Elizabeth was married to Frederick, Elector Palatine, a German Protestant prince. Frederick took the disastrous decision to accept the throne of Bohemia in 1619, moving with Elizabeth from their palace in Heidelberg to Prague, where they reigned for less than a year before being ousted by the armies of the Catholic Habsburg emperor, Ferdinand. The rest of Elizabeth’s life, much of it as a widow, was lived in exile in The Hague, where she became seen as a symbol of militant Protestantism: the tragic ‘Winter Queen’.

    The English artist Robert Peake (c.1551–1619) depicts the young princess with a fashionable high, wired, hairstyle and wearing various expensive jewels, including a long diamond chain worn across her chest. The portrait advertises Elizabeth’s wealth, beauty and status, using a pose associated from the early sixteenth century with potential royal brides.

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