John BULL, William BYRD, and Thomas MORLEY. The care-
fully nurtured cult of Elizabeth as Gloriana, the Virgin
Queen, was the source of much of the richest visual her-
itage of her reign, seen most notably in the portraits of the
queen herself.
Further reading: Susan Doran (ed.), Elizabeth: The
Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum (London:
Chatto & Windus and National Maritime Museum,
Greenwich, 2003); Michael Dobson and Nicola Watson,
England’s Elizabeth: An Afterlife in Fame and Fantasy (Ox-
ford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 2002); Leah S. Mar-
cus, Janel Mueller, and Mary Beth Rose (eds), Elizabeth I:
Collected Works (Chicago, Ill. and London: University of
Chicago Press, 2000); David Starkey, Elizabeth: Appren-
ticeship (London: Vintage, 2001).
Elizabethan Settlement The measures undertaken to
define England’s religious identity under the regime of
ELIZABETH I. Begun at her accession in 1558, they reversed
Mary I’s Catholic policies and reflected Elizabeth’s own
brand of moderate Protestantism. Papal power was again
abolished in England, permanently separating England
from Rome—Pius V was to excommunicate Elizabeth in
1570 (see also RECUSANCY). Monarchs would lead Eng-
land, not popes. An Act of Supremacy declared that the
Queen was “supreme of all persons and causes, ecclesias-
tical as well as civil.” The Protestant Matthew PARKER, be-
came archbishop of Canterbury (1559). Monasteries
opened by Mary were dissolved.
A third Act of Uniformity (1559) mainly accepted Ed-
ward VI’s 1552 Prayer Book (see BOOK OF COMMON
PRAYER), though the removal of harsh antipapal rhetoric
from it typifies Elizabeth’s efforts to advance Protestantism
without provoking violent reaction from religious conser-
vatives. But religious strife did not end in 1558. The 1569
NORTHERN REBELLIONshowed that Catholic loyalists were
not placated by Elizabeth, whose compromising policies
were also attacked by extreme reformers. The latter re-
sented the reintroduction of a crucifix into Elizabeth’s
own chapel and the insistence that clergy should again
wear traditional VESTMENTS. By the mid-1580s, anti-
Catholic policies (with popular actions being taken
against Mary, Queen of Scots, Spain, and papists in gen-
eral) were in full cry. The Settlement’s tolerant spirit was
replaced by a jingoistic, virulent Protestantism.
Elizabethan style The English architectural and decora-
tive style associated with the reign (1558–1603) of Eliza-
beth I. During this period the assimilation of Renaissance
models, begun in the preceding TUDORperiod, gathered
momentum, although much Elizabethan work was still
medieval in character with an often idiosyncratic applica-
tion of half-understood Renaissance motifs. One charac-
teristic form of decoration was the low-relief carving in
intricate geometrical patterns known as strapwork, which
entered England from the Low Countries and was much
used on FURNITUREand on plaster ceilings. The predomi-
nantly oak furniture was usually heavily carved, with bul-
bous pillar supports that reached massive proportions in
the 1580s and 1590s; an assortment of classical motifs
(lion masks, acanthus scrolls, caryatids, Ionic columns,
etc.) would also appear on the same pieces.
Architectural innovations were predominantly secular
and domestic. The houses of Elizabethan magnates, such
as Bess of Hardwick (see HARDWICK, ELIZABETH), influ-
enced by the increasing circulation of illustrated books on
architecture, began to show a bias towards symmetry; this
was exemplified in the E-shaped ground plan of country
houses, with a formal entrance porch in the center form-
ing the short stroke of the E and two long wings protrud-
ing at right angles from the main block. A grand staircase
and a long gallery were fashionable interior features. Fire-
places became elaborate stone edifices, often inlaid with
colored marbles.
See also: JACOBEAN STYLE
Further reading: Mark Girouard, Robert Smythson and
the Architecture of the Elizabethan Era (London: Country
Life, 1966); Timothy Mowl, Elizabethan and Jacobean Style
(London: Phaidon, 1993); Anthony Wells-Cole, Art and
Decoration in Elizabethan and Jacobean England: The Influ-
ence of Continental Prints, 1558–1625 (New Haven, Conn.
and London: Yale University Press, 1997).Elsevir press See ELZEVIR PRESSElsheimer, Adam (1578–1610) German painter
Elsheimer studied painting in his native Frankfurt, where
he came under the influence of exiled Dutch landscape
painters living in the area. In Italy from 1598, he visited
Venice and lived in Rome, absorbing the influence of Ital-
ians such as CARAVAGGIO, VERONESE, and the Bassano fam-
ily. He met RUBENS and other Dutch painters there,
through whom he influenced the development of north-
ern European art. Elsheimer’s usually small, very delicate
paintings, often executed in oil on copper, were widely
popular. His subject matter is usually biblical or mytho-
logical, with figures and an idyllic landscape setting as-
suming equal importance, as in Tobias and the Angel
(National Gallery, London). He is noted especially for his
rich colors and effects of light, frequently achieved in
night scenes. Elsheimer died in Rome, following his re-
lease from imprisonment for debt.Elyot, Sir Thomas (c. 1490–1546) English writer and
diplomat
His place of birth and education are uncertain, but in 1511
he became clerk of assize on the western circuit, on which
his father was a judge. He attracted the patronage of
WOLSEYand then of Thomas CROMWELL, becoming a close
friend of the latter by 1528. After having been knighted inEEllyyoott,, SSiirr TThhoommaass 1 15599