This miniature of Anne of Denmark, James I's consort, was misidentified as Elizabeth I until the late nineteenth century. That the subject is, in fact, Anne of Denmark, is made clear firstly by the motto inscribed in gold on the right: 'Servo per regnare' which is a reflection of the queen's belief in the doctrine of the divine right of kings propounded by James I, and, secondly, by the clear association of the costume with the Jacobean masque, of which Anne was the leading patron. The elaborate costume in which the Queen is depicted in the miniature may be that which she wore for any of the five court masques in which she participated, but is most likely to show her dressed for the Masque of Beauty (1608) or Love Freed from Ignorance and Folly (1611). On this basis, the miniature has been dated to c. 1610. Isaac Oliver had held the position of official limner (or miniaturist) to Anne of Denmark since 1605. His success in obtaining the Queen's patronage was doubtless due to the broader international influence evident in his work, particularly in comparison to the doggedly English style of his master Nicholas Hilliard (1547-1619). The influence of an earlier visit Oliver had paid to Venice (in 1596) may be felt in the present miniature in the use of the classical antique profile (see also his miniature of Edward, Lord Herbert of Cherbury 420022), an innovation from the standard presentation of sitters in miniature format in three-quarter profile. Anne of Denmark, daughter of Frederick II of Denmark and Norway, married James VI of Scotland in 1589. She had five children, two of whom died young. Her enthusiasm for the visual arts found expression in architectural projects at The Queen's House, Greenwich, which was built for her, and at Somerset House. Signed on the left in gold: 'I.O.' in monogram Adapted from the catalogue entry in Masterpieces in Little: Portrait Miniatures from the Collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 1996-7