Portraits of Queens

These ladies have been some of the most influential and powerful women in history. They have led countries while often being expected to ensure they produce a male heir to one day ascend to their thrones. Some of them are well-remembered as just rulers and others have a less favorable reputation. Regardless of how well they ruled, they all have one thing in common…they had their portraits painted by artists we discuss on this site.

Throughout history, royal families were great patrons of the arts. Long before important moments in history were captured on film, important people and events were captured on canvas. Many of the world’s most famous artist owe their success, in part or in whole, to queens and their families who commissioned royal portraits. Monarchs often commissioned the painting of their portraits to provide personal gifts to loyal subjects, rulers of other nations and family members. Fearing for their own safety, some artists may have taken a bit of artistic license with the appearance of their queen but that in no way diminishes the quality and beauty of the portraits.

I have little doubt our collection of queens’ portraits will continue to grow as more artists and their works are added to The Famous Artists. Depending upon where you live, you may be meeting some of these great ladies for the first time; others, you may have met through your history classes or visits to your national museum. With each painting, I hope to share a bit about the lady as well as the artist who captured her on canvas.