On Levina Teerlinc
Levina Teerlinc was one of the great artists of the Northern Renaissance. She was Flemish, born in Bruges, the mecca for artistry of the day, due to its accessible location and connection to the Medici banking system (Bruges). She moved to London with her husband where she became the the royal painter and lady-in-waiting, or gentlewoman, of the Tudor court. This employment originated with Henry VIII and later for Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I (Artists of the Tudor Court). There were two distinctions that made Mrs. Teelinc particularly interesting. The first, was that she was paid more than most painters of the time at 40 Euros per year (Levina Teerlinc). The second, is that she was a miniaturist painter, which was highly desired in England at the time (A, Cris). This woman was able to use her talents as an artist to make an applicable career, painting royalty during the Renaissance.
The work that stuck out most to me was Teelinc’s painting of Princess Elizabeth I from 1565. There were many versions of paintings of Princess Elizabeth I as she was the royal painter and therefore had very few clients. This work is titled simply Princess Elizabeth I. The reason this portrait had such an impact on me is the way Teelinc has been able to capture the focus in her eyes and the grandeur of her position in the monarchy with acute attention to detail. The viewer can see how intricate her dress and jewelry have been recreated, as well as the seriousness that she carried with so much responsibility as a monarch. In a time with no photography, the role of the painter was especially important in promoting the image of the royal family. Princess Elizabeth I was said to be very fond of miniature portraits, she would keep a collection and burn the ones that she didn’t think projected the correct image of herself (Artists of the Tudor Court). Levina Teerlinc is an inspirational Renaissance painter because she created phenomenal works of art, that due to their royal nature were able to withstand the test of time and enchant viewers today.
References:
A, Cris. “Women in Art, Part Five: Minerva at the Dawn – Women Painters of the Renaissance Period.” HubPages. N.p., 2010. Web. 09 June 2012. <http://cris-a.hubpages.com>. (Photo also from this site.)
“Artists of the Tudor Court.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 Aug. 2012. Web. 09 June 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artists_of_the_Tudor_court>.
“Bruges.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 06 June 2012. Web. 09 June 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruges>.
“Levina Teerlinc.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 06 Feb. 2012. Web. 09 June 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levina_Teerlinc>.
Crystal Pitney 
I would have to say that I have the opposite view of this portrait of Elizabeth I. I would say there is a lack of grandeur. To me this painting looks like any portrait of a wealthy lady. It may just be me, but I was not as fascinated. I did notice her eye’s but more as if they are empty.
It is amazing what Teerlinc was capable of doing in a male driven society. I wonder if there is more background behind how she was able to climb the ladder to paint royalty.
Thanks for the nicely done analysis on Princess Elizabeth I by Levina Teerlinc. I enjoyed your thoughtful explanation of why you were attracted to the painting. You also connected it to the period as required by the assignment. Although thorough, I would question, however, whether the painting you displayed was actually one that Teerlinc was responsible for. Two of the links you cited both have the painting attributed to William Scrots. For example, the wiki: ‘artists of the tudor court’ shows the painting, appearing to be the exact one, near the bottom, with the name Scrots assigned to it. Your ‘photo’ link of “cris-a.hubpages.com,” would be a questionable link in my opinion, and I did not click further than the opening page. A link I found: http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/elizface.htm identifies a few paintings by Teerlinc found about halfway down the page, additionally attributing the one you cited as being a work of William Scrots. The wiki link on ‘Teerlinc” you provided, also indicates questionable attribution to Teerlinc of the Elizabeth I painting. Don’t feel bad, as I have had similar trouble in clearly identifying even the name of a painting and gave up looking into it so deeply. All this stuff is very old, and hardly any of it absolutely foolproof. And also consider that I am by no means an expert, as I forgot to even hyperlink my citations and when I went back to them and tried to get them to link, the addresses, although exactly similar to the correct ones, would not link, for reasons even my internet helper could not decipher!! My reactions to the paintings by Teerlinc and other similar works is “so what,” not meant to be flippant, instead intending to relay my unemotional response to portrait type art like this. Thanks for listening
I also was running into contradictory information about who was the actual painter. Although more listed it as Teerlinc’s as did the source that we were given in the assignment. That being said, I could be wrong, and this could be from Scrots. Thanks for your response.
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