Portrait Anna, Queen of England (1664-1714)

Portrait of Anna, Queen of England. In this depiction the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland appears as a whole figure facing to the right in the half profile. Her head is tilted to the left and her eyes fix the right leaf margin. She wears a very precious dress with embroidery, jewelry and beaded cords as well as a hanging made of Hermelinfell. Her hair has put her up, a few curls fall over her shoulder and she wears a string of pearls, earrings and a crown as a jewelry. In her left hand, she holds a scepter while presenting the imperial apple in her right hand. The tile floor with pattern in the foreground and the rich architecture in the background suggest that it may be in a room in its compartments in St. James' s Palace. The leaf represents the last British queen from Stuart. Initially she was Queen of Ireland from 1702 to 1714, until 1707 also from England and Scotland, until the last year an association of both kingdoms was made. Now she was elevated to the first queen of Britain’s kingdom. She financially supported Georg Friedrich Händel. In December 1713 she granted him an annual pension for life of 200 pounds. Händel composed the “Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne” (HWV 74) for her in 1713. It is rather unwary that this anonymous leaf was executed as a copper engraving, because the many fine details in the queen’s dress and the irritating pattern of ground tiles in copper engraving are not or hardly possible. A form of etching would be possible. The engraving does not seem to have been acquired many times, but in the Royal Collection Trust one finds a leaf that is a sideways variant of the present leaf, engraved by Bernard Lens (1659-1725) and made about 1698-1694. The striking thing is that the name “Maria” was used instead of “Anna.” Signature: Joh. Chr.Weigel exc. Label: ANNA. | D. G. Angliae, Scotiae, Franciae et Hibern. Regina (RegHändel-Haus Halle Foundation)