Collection: Gloriana Prints

I named this collection “Gloriana” as a nod to Edmund Spenser’s “The Faerie Queene”, an epic poem published in honour of Elizabeth in 1590. The Gloriana print is full of symbols that can be seen in paintings of Elizabeth’s own regal wardrobe. The eyes and ears suggest her all-seeing, all-hearing authority, while the hearts represent her love of God and country. You may also be able to spot the Tudor rose, which artists of the time used to symbolize the relative unity the Tudor era brought to the land. For Elizabeth, this included religious unity. She is famously said to have declared that she would not open “windows into men’s souls”, indicating that she wouldn’t concern herself with people’s private beliefs.