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Secondary sourceSculpture

Relief of Queen Elizabeth I and Her Ministers, Hatfield House

A stone relief at Hatfield House showing Elizabeth I with her ministers, including William Cecil, Lord Burghley. It was made later and shows her importance rather than her exact height.

Shows Elizabeth alongside Lord Burghley, her principal minister, as a later commemoration of her government.

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Photograph of a light stone relief sculpture showing a row of Elizabethan-era figures in ruffed collars and elaborate costumes. A central tall female figure in a patterned gown dominates, flanked by standing men, one with a heraldic shield.
Relief of Queen Elizabeth I and her ministers, Hatfield House. Photograph by Roger W, 9 October 1987, Wikimedia Commons.

About this source

What it is

This is a light stone relief sculpture in the west garden of Hatfield House. It shows Elizabeth I with her ministers. William Cecil, Lord Burghley, her principal minister, stands at her immediate left. The Queen is shown taller than all of her ministers. The record notes that this was probably not the case, and that the height expresses her importance.

The sculpture was originally made for the Royal Exchange. It was acquired for Hatfield House in the 19th century by the second Marquess of Salisbury, a descendant of Lord Burghley. The photograph in the archive was taken on 9 October 1987.

Why it matters

The relief shows how Elizabeth's rule was remembered and presented after her death. Its focus on her ministers shows how much her government depended on advisers like Burghley. The work reveals the values of the people who later displayed it, not only those of the Tudor court.

Look closer

  • Who is shown tallest in the relief, and what does that choice suggest about power?
  • Why might a later sculptor show the queen larger than her ministers?
  • What does the relief leave out about the people who actually ran the government?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Elizabeth I on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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