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Setting and Symbolism |
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The symbols with which someone chooses
to be pictured and the setting within which someone’s
portrait is placed can tell us much about that person’s
character and aspirations, how they like to be seen and/or
the time in which they lived. |
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Symbols |
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All of the portraits in this section
feature symbols which can tell us more about the person
or people pictured. For example, we know that Thomas
Barker is an artist, because he is pictured with
his brushes and an easel and we know that Napoleon
I must be a ruler of some sort, because he is
wearing a red velvet and ermine robe and a ‘crown’
of laurel leaves. Other symbols require some more background
information before we can understand them; their meaning
is no longer as obvious to us as they would have been
at the time. For example, we need to know that wearing
coral beads was thought to protect children against
sickness in order to see their significance in Child
with a Coral. Likewise, we need to know that King
Louis XV of France and his predecessor King Louis XIV
styled themselves as ‘the Sun King’. For
this reason they identified themselves with Apollo,
god of the sun, who is pictured in his chariot on
the back wall of the room in Madame
de Ventadour with Portraits of Louis XIV and his Heirs.
Mythology can often play a part in portraits; in the
portrait of Queen
Elizabeth I the moon on her bodice
represents Diana, goddess of the hunt and of chastity,
and is a way of showing Elizabeth’s power and
her feminine virtues. |
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Images of Power |
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Images of power can also be constructed
from pose and symbols. In the case of the Emperor
Napoleon, he has borrowed images of powerful people
and institutions from the past, such as the orb (symbol
of kings), the laurel leaves (worn by the ancient
Roman emperors) and the sceptre decorated with the
imperial eagle. Likewise, the reference to the King
of France as the Sun King in Madame
de Ventadour with Portraits of Louis XIV and his Heirs
links him to classical mythology. It helps him to communicate
a sense of natural superiority and the divine right
of kings to rule over their subjects. Henry
VIII marks
his royal superiority through his richly decorated dress
and jewels but it is his dominance of the painting that
tells the viewer that this ageing king is still a great
and powerful ruler. |
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Setting |
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The setting in which a person is placed
can give us many clues as to their personality or how
they would like to be seen. The drapery in the portraits
of Marie de
Raet, Napoleon
I and Queen
Charlotte has a multiple role; as well as revealing
the painters' skill in depicting different materials and
playing a role in the composition, it adds a sense of
elegance, wealth and luxury. The diagonal of the curtain
with its folds in the portrait of Queen
Charlotte also leads the eye to the beautiful and,
no doubt, expensive lace cuff in the bottom right-hand
corner. The curtain and column behind the upright figure
of Marie de
Raet emphasise her vertical pose and monumental surroundings.
On the other hand, the Child
with a Coral and Thomas
Barker have far more modest settings, presumably as
befits their status. Priscilla
Jones, painted by Thomas
Barker, appears all the more delicate through being
framed by two huge columns and surrounded by grey statues.
Thomas Barker
went on to marry Priscilla
Jones and this setting perhaps betrays his affection
for her by providing a contrast between her softness and
the austere surroundings. |
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| Discussion Points: |
- Do people still have status symbols these
days? What sort of things are they in modern
times?
- Think about the image of Napoleon, where
he is styling himself on a Roman emperor. Are
there things still in use today which hark back
to a very long time ago and make that person
or institution seem important? And are there
occasions now when people wear very traditional
clothes or carry traditional objects? Clues:
Parliament, Coronations, Wedding ceremonies,
University Graduation.
- Give the class body outlines labelled with
the names of different professions (e.g. king,
teacher, butcher, bishop) and ask the children
to draw on their particular attributes or ‘props’.
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Related
Portraits |
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Thomas Barker
Self Portrait at an
Easel
circa 1794 |
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Anne-Louis Girodet
Napoleon I in
Coronation Robes
after 1804 |
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Unknown
Portrait of a Child with
a Coral
1636 |
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French School
Madame de Ventadour
circa 1715 to 1720 |
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English School
Portrait of Queen
Elizabeth I
circa 1590 |
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After Hans Holbein
the Younger
Henry VIII
circa 1560 |
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Anthony Van Dyck
Marie de Raet 1631
Philippe
le Roy 1630 |
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Johann Zoffany
Queen Charlotte
1766 |
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Thomas Barker
Priscilla Jones
circa 1796 |
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