Elizabethan hair and decorations

We went on a trip to London and visited the National Portrait Gallery. Here I took some notes on the hair in the portraiture of both Ladies and Gentlemen.

Queen Elizabeth I 1533-1603, 1559
The Coronation Portrait

Here the hair is ginger which signifies that she from a higher class. It is quite smooth looking with gentle waves and quite long. It is symmetrical with the middle parting and topped with a nice big jewel encrusted crown to show that she is Queen! The forehead has also been elongated by moving the hairline further back to show she is a noble class.
I like how it is a very simple style that I personally think shows her professionalism but also maybe her youth.

Queen Elizabeth I 1533-1603, 1575
Darnley Portrait

In this portrait you can see the hair has been pinned up in a rounded style. The hair is curly and has a frizzy looking texture. It is quite a small rounded style however it has been decorated extravagantly with pearls which signifies her virginity and that she is a pure woman. It also looks like there is some kind of black material, possibly lace at the back of the hair. Black is usually used to symbolise power and the seriousness of which she takes in her position.

Queen Elizabeth I 1533 - 1603, 1592
The Cult of Elizabeth

Again we see in this portrait that the Queen has the rounded dome shape to her hair although this time it is bigger than the previous portrait. It is a golden ginger colour and definitely looks frizzed and padded to obtain the shape. It looks very structured in shape and it also looks like there may be a type of bun at the back that has been covered with some kind of ruby jeweled crown. Again the front is littered with pearls to show her purity. I also noticed the hairline is moved back again, this time with a harder hairline which makes me think that she could possibly be wearing a wig.
I really like this portrait, especially how the hair masterpiece is framed by the extravagant ruffs from her dress that stand as tall as the hair. I like how the hair has been decorated symmetrically with lots of different bright colours.

Henry VIII 1491 - 1547

We cant actually see the hair in this picture but I found the attire still interesting. In this portrait, Henry is wearing what looks like a hat with feathers or possibly fur. It is black in colour which shows his power and control and also encrusted with jewels to show his wealth and high class.

Sir Walter Ralegh 1554 - 1618, 1588

As the men's hair cannot be styled the same as womens, it still has similar qualities. The hair looks curly and quite fluffy. It is also rounded and still symmetrical with a high hair line to show intelligence and high class. Whether this had been done intentionally, I do not know. Hanging from the ear are a couple of pearls which had been favoured very much by the queen.
I actually found it quite interesting to find similar qualities from a womans syle in a mans hairsyle. Although Sir Walter Ralegh had this portrait created intending to please Queen Elizabeth I, I really like the fact it has elements of the queen herself in it.