Royal Pets
We already treat them like royalty…
Prints of these portraits are available here, and I also take commissions.
Millie as Queen Elizabeth I (Drewe Portrait, c. 1580s)
Noodle as Queen Mary I (Antonis Mor, 1554)
Gouache on Bristol paper, with Fintec Arabic Gold accents
Millie has always been the more photogenic of the two, so naturally sat in for the more glamourous Queen as a model. And because they are, in fact, sisters, I chose Queen Mary Tudor for Noodle.
Come to think of it, they sort of act like the historical sisters, too—Millie is choosy with her affections and usually wins power struggles over the water bowl; Noodle just wants love and snuggles, and any unfortunate epithets are just the results of later successful propaganda campaigns.
Digby may be pushing fifty pounds, but he’s still just a puppy at only eight months old! I chose Hans Holbein’s equally precocious Duke of Suffolk to model for him, looking like he’s ready to throw around some royal weight. Instead of papers of state, or lessons, he’s clutching his favorite toy (once I could get him to stop slobbering on it for long enough to sit for the portrait).
Digby as Charles Brandon, 3rd Duke of Suffolk (Hans Holbein the Younger, 1541)
Gouache on Bristol paper, with Fintec Arabic Gold frame
If only Queen Elizabeth I had had an Instagram account, she might have matched the adorable @seigethecat for views and likes. Thankfully, they seem to be doing pretty well as a team with this commission.
From the photo she sure seems to approve of it! (That or she thinks it’s another cat/threat come to usurp the throne!)
Seige as Queen Elizabeth I (Darnley Portrait, Unknown Artist, c. 1575)
Gouache on Bristol paper, with Fintec Arabic Gold accents
Cannoli the cat is as sweet as her namesake and at least three times as cute. Given her Italian “heritage” I chose this portrait of the young Maria de’Medici, a young daughter of one of the most powerful families, and patrons of the arts, in Italian history.
Cannoli inspects her official portrait.
Cannoli as Maria de’Medici (Agnolo Bronzino, 1553)
Gouache on Bristol paper with Fintec Arabic Gold accents
Scads of adoring fans. A constant stream of pets, attention, and treats. A true poet’s soul. Who else could Petey (the street cat) sit for except the Bard of Avon? Petey might live on the street but that’s only because he couldn’t possibly be separated from his many loving supporters and patrons—er, treat-givers.
Petey as William Shakespeare (Martin Droeshout, 1623)
Gouache on Bristol paper with Fintec Arabic Gold accents