Why Queen Elizabeth’s Dress is Covered With Eyes and Ears

A painting dripping with symbolism

The Rainbow Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I (c.1602). Attributed to Isaac Oliver. Oil on canvas. 127 × 99.1 cm. Hatfield House, Hertfordshire, UK. Image source Wikimedia Commons

This image is known as the Rainbow Portrait of Elizabeth I, who was the Queen of England and Ireland from 1558 until 1603.

The title of the painting comes from the curious shape that Elizabeth clutches in her right hand, which is in fact a rainbow. The rainbow is a symbol of peace and represents the Queen’s magnanimity.

Yet, perhaps the most striking detail of the painting is the series of eyes and ears that adorn her dress.

Detail of ‘The Rainbow Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I’ (c.1602). Attributed to Isaac Oliver. Oil on canvas. 127 × 99.1 cm. Hatfield House, Hertfordshire, UK. Image source Wikimedia Commons

Floating like a series of overlapping faces, the array of eyes and ears amid the folds of her dress was intended to show that the Queen sees and hears all. Elizabeth had a formidable spy network that she drew upon to warn of challenges to her reign. The head of state, the portrait tells us, controls a close system of surveillance.

This message was important. The later years of Elizabeth’s reign were marked by factional rivalry within the court and increasingly unsettled conditions for the country. England had been at war with Spain until 1588, the toll of which put a great strain on the country’s…