ArchiveExhibition
The Armada Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I
11 Feb 2023-7 Jan 2024
The Box
Plymouth PL4 8AX
The Armada Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I (detail), 1588. Credit: From The Woburn Abbey Collection
Overview
The Armada Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I is arguably the most recognisable depiction of the Tudor queen.
From 11 February 2023, The Box will display one of the three known surviving versions of the portrait on loan from Woburn Abbey, the home of the 15th Duke and Duchess of Bedford. Woburn Abbey is currently closed for a major refurbishment and is partnering with venues across the UK to share its impressive art collection with a wider audience.
The portrait commemorates the most famous battle of Elizabeth I’s reign: the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. It shows Elizabeth in triumph, with the storm-lashed Spanish fleet behind her on the right and the English ships sailing through calm seas on the left.
The portrait will be displayed in The Box's '100 Journeys' gallery, which examines Plymouth’s role as the start and finishing point for some of history’s most well-known voyages and expeditions.