The Elizabethans were very big on symbolism and they were very good at creating powerful messages in their imagery through the use of certain objects, fashion and places.
What I found out about the symbolism of certain makeup trends in the Tudors was that having a far back hair line was seen as a symbol of an individuals wisdom, the higher the forehead, the wiser they were. Therefore women often bleached their eyebrows or plucked them out completely in order to look wiser. Having a pale face was also a sign of wealth, as the poorer women who had to complete manual labour in order to earn money had tans form being out in the sun all day. There are various other trends that I was aware of but hadn't found the meaning behind so I started way back looking at images created in Elizabeth I's era. She had many portraits composed of herself as queen though very few created of her when she was only a princess. The few portraits of Elizabeth as a younger woman show her in gowns of red and gold, wearing pearls and with her red hair parted in the middle and sleeked back into some sort of hair piece. She wore very little makeup and i assume had naturally pale skin due to her hair colour. This style is very understated and has very few similarities to the styles that she is shown to have worn in her later life, featured in her more well known portraiture.
Instead of looking at the symbolism of the makeup itself I decided to look at the symbols in her portraits displayed in her clothing and surrounding that I could possibly incorporate into my makeup designs.
The Pelican was thought to be one of Elizabeth's most favoured symbols as it represented her motherly love toward her people. It was believed that in times of food shortages, mother pelicans would pluck their own breasts in order to feed their dying young with their blood, saving their lives but killing themselves in the process. During Elizabeth's rein the pelican went on to represent Jesus sacrificing himself on the cross for the good of mankind as well as the sacrament of communion, feeding the faithful with his body and blood. The pelican can be seen in Elizabeth's pelican portrait, where she is adorned with a pelican broach on her breast. I found that the modern equivalent of this is the Christian cross. Pelicans are no longer worn for the same reason as they are in Elizabethan times from what I know of, they are more of a novelty.
Pearls were a very commonly used symbol in almost every single one of Elizabeth's portraits. Pearls as well as moons were used to present Elizabeth as Cynthia, the goddess of the Moon, who was a virgin, making her pure. Sir Walter Ralegh helped to promote Elizabeth being a moon goddess with a the poem written in the 1580s; The Ocean's Love to Cynthia. Furthermore, The Tudor Rose represented the Virgin Mary and her purity and can be seen in various portraits of Elizabeth. She wore this symbol for the same reason that she wore pearls. Both are still worn today however they aren’t commonly incorporated into makeup designs. Pearls still hold some of the same meaning as they did in the Tudors however roses are now a symbol of romance rather than virginity.
In addition Ermine fur was featured in many portraits of Queen Elizabeth I. It was also a symbol of purity due to the legend that the ermine would rather die than soil its pure white coat. Not only was it a symbol for purity and loyalty it was also a status symbol, as wearing ermine was restricted to royalty and high nobility. Fur is still worn as a symbol of wealth now, however it would be difficult to incorporate into a makeup design without making the model look like an animal, however this would be quite an interesting challenge to take on and I may try incorporating fur to one of my face charts.
Heart shapes are often associated with the Tudors. I have looked into the symbolism behind this and have come to the conclusion that the Elizabethans didn't actual see this shape as 'heart shaped'. This style of heart was introduced a long while after the Tudors period, therefore it is very unlikely that they saw it as anything other than two crescent moons. This would make sense due to the fact that Elizabeth was trying to portray herself as a moon goddess. This double crescent/heart shape is something that we still use today, however it now obviously symbolises love rather than Elizabeth being a moon goddess. Heart shapes aren’t uncommon to see in editorial makeup today and are something that I imagine I could incorporate quite easily into my designs. It would be a matter of using them in a way that hadn't already been done that would be hard.
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