Elizabethan globalism : England, China and the rainbow portrait / Matthew Dimmock

Object Details

Notes: Matthew Dimmock is professor of early modern studies at the University of Sussex.
Contents: Acknowledgements -- List of abbreviations -- Introduction: Compassing the world -- 1. A very great entertainment -- 2. The play: "A conference between a gentleman usher and a post" -- 3. A letter from China -- 4. A mantle, a portrait -- 5. China on the Strand -- 6. Love and commerce: writing to China -- 7. Attending to Sheba -- 8. Reorientations -- Conclusion: Dreaming of China -- Appendix I. Reconstruction of Cecil's housewarming entertainments -- Appendix II. Textual variants -- Notes and references -- Biobliography -- Photograph credits -- Index
Summary: A fascinating look at how Elizabethan England was transformed by its interactions with cultures from around the world. Challenging the myth of Elizabethan England as insular and xenophobic, this revelatory study sheds light on how the nation's growing global encounters--from the Caribbean to Asia--created an interest and curiosity in the wider world that resonated deeply throughout society. Matthew Dimmock reconstructs an extraordinary housewarming party thrown at the newly built Cecil House in London in 1602 for Elizabeth I where a stunning display of Chinese porcelain served as a physical manifestation of how global trade and diplomacy had led to a new appreciation of foreign cultures. This party was also the likely inspiration for Elizabeth's celebrated Rainbow Portrait, an image that Dimmock describes as a carefully orchestrated vision of England's emerging ambitions for its engagements with the rest of the world. Bringing together an eclectic variety of sources including play texts, inventories, and artifacts, this extensively researched volume presents a picture of early modern England as an outward-looking nation intoxicated by what the world had to offer.

Data Source: Smithsonian Libraries

Date: 2019; 16th century; 17th century; 16e siècle; 17e siècle; Elizabeth, 1558-1603; 1558-1603; 1558-1603 (Élisabeth Ire)

author: Dimmock, Matthew
Subject: Elizabeth I Queen of England 1533-1603; Elizabeth I Queen of England 1533-1603

Type: Books; Portraits; History

Physical description: xi, 324 pages : illustrations (some color), color maps ; 28 cm

Place: Great Britain; Grande-Bretagne; Asien; England

Title: England, China and the rainbow portrait

Topic: Art and state--History; Portrait painting--Political aspects; Art--Politique gouvernementale--Histoire; Peinture de portraits--Aspect politique; Art and state; Diplomatic relations; Fernhandel; Kulturkontakt; History; Foreign relations; Histoire; Relations extérieures; 1558-1603

Record ID: siris_sil_1169965

Usage: CC0