Obverse (front) of Second Great Seal of Queen Elizabeth I. Catalogue ref: SC 12/N3
- Can you find:
- mysterious hands reaching from clouds to hold Elizabeth’s cape
- an orb and sceptre
- a ruff
- coat of arms
- Tudor Rose
- background leaves and flowers
- motto -‘Elizabetha Dei Gracia Anglie Francie Et Hibernie Regina Fidei Defensor’? [‘Elizabeth, by grace of God, Queen of England, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith’.]
- What do the ‘mysterious hands’ suggest?
- Can you describe Elizabeth’s dress and hairstyle?
- Why does she hold an orb and sceptre? Do you know what they mean?
- Elizabeth was Head of the Church of England. Which part of the seal tells us this?