Portret van Elizabeth I Tudor, koningin van Engeland 1785

This engraving of Elizabeth I, Queen of England, was created by Reinier Vinkeles in the 18th century. Vinkeles, a Dutch artist, lived in a time of shifting social structures. The work presents Elizabeth as a powerful and bejeweled woman, framed in an oval portrait. The traditional representation reinforces her status, yet it also hints at the complexities of her gendered role. As a female monarch in a patriarchal society, Elizabeth had to negotiate her power carefully. She famously declared, "I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king." Vinkeles' engraving captures the regal presence of Elizabeth, but it also invites us to reflect on the historical challenges she faced, her strategies for ruling, and the legacy she left behind. It allows us to consider the weight of tradition, the shaping of identity, and the enduring pursuit of power across centuries.