[Elizabeth I]: [Anthony, Derek (engraver)]: [Hilliard, Nicholas (artist)]:

$10,000 · Offered by William Reese Company · No longer available

[THE SECOND GREAT SEAL OF QUEEN ELIZABETH I, CAST IN WAX AND RESIN, AND FEATURING PORTRAITS OF THE QUEEN ON BOTH SIDES]. An excellent example of the celebrated Second Great Seal of Queen Elizabeth I, commissioned by Royal Warrant in 1584. The seal was created by the Queen's portraitist and "limner" (miniaturist), Nicholas Hilliard, who created the seal designs, and Derrick Anthony, the Chief Graver at the Royal Mint, who engraved the designs to produce the seal matrix in silver. The seal's primary purpose was to guarantee the authenticity of the document to which it was attached and to symbolize the Queen's approval to matters contained within the document. In addition to its import in Elizabethan government, the Second Great Seal also stands as a testament to Elizabeth's skill in cultivating her public image. Through her choice of design for the Second Great Seal, Elizabeth was able to engage in an important form of communication not only with her subjects, but also with the princes and dignitaries representing England's enemies and allies, both reassuring and warning them that although she was a childless unmarried woman, she was the daughter of a king, able to wield immense power for the defense and betterment of her people, and that she had unquestioned divine right to rule. Throughout the years Elizabeth reigned, she carefully crafted her image in order to make herself an icon to her people, with each portrait released serving to enhance Elizabeth's status in the eyes of

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