A portrait of Queen Elizabeth I has been discovered in an attic.


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The artwork is one of few existing portraits to show the royal – who is believed to have been around 26 when the artist was commissioned – in the early years of her reign and will go on sale for £350,000.

Historians confirmed the picture has been painted over an earlier likeness of the monarch. X-ray scans of the canvas have uncovered an older portrait of the queen underneath.

London art dealer Philip Mould, who owns the piece, said: “The assumption is that the artist – and we do not know who he is – did an initial portrait, and either he or the queen did not like it.”

The painting was discovered in a house in East Sussex.

Philip added: “To them, it was just a picture that had been in the family for several generations.”

David Starkey, an expert on the royal, said there is a lot to learn from the discovery.

He said: “What is really significant is how she looks. She is really pale and therefore has this pure image.

“She is holding a Bible or a prayer book. This is a key; it is her statement of religious intent. It is Elizabeth saying, ‘Look, I’m a Protestant.’ ”