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Lost portrait reveals the 'soft side' of Elizabeth I
A rare portrait depicting Elizabeth I as a vulnerable teenager rather than a powerful queen has been rediscovered by an expert more than 450 years after it was painted.
Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I when a Princess will go on display for the first time in London this week.
Its discovery by Philip Mould, an art dealer, has been described as "important and exciting" by Dr David Starkey, the historian and television presenter who has written a biography of Elizabeth's early years.
The picture by an unknown artist is only the second known portrait of Elizabeth as a young princess -
the other is in the Royal Collection - and projects a softer image very different from the later paintings showing her as a strong monarch.
Mr Mould, a leading portraiture dealer who has a gallery in London, will be offering the painting for sale for about ?800,000 at The Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair, which opens in Park Lane, Mayfair, on Thursday.
He bought the painting, by an unknown artist, after it had been in a private collection in Spain for more than 40 years.
Although it was known to depict Elizabeth it was previously thought to be a much later copy rather than contemporaneous.
"On occasions like this you have to hold your breath, take the risk and find out what lies beneath," said Mr Mould.
Having bought the picture he brought in forensic experts and a restorer to unravel its history.
The breakthrough came when analysis of the wood on which it is painted revealed that the oak tree had been cut down as early as 1546.
Such panels were norma
lly used soon after felling and so the portrait was probably produced about 1547. That was the year when Elizabeth, who was then 14, went to live with her stepmother, Catherine Parr, following the death of her father, Henry VIII.
"This painting shows us the human face behind Elizabeth's mask," said Mr Mould.