The Death of Elizabeth I, Queen of England

Delaroche’s early work consists mainly of subjects from the Old Testament, while later he chose subjects from French and English history. He was one of the most popular painters of his time, his paintings satisfied the need for education through art and the demand for sensibility. Both his carefully researched interiors and costumes and the theatrical content made his paintings so popular. In The Death of Elizabeth I, Queen of England the cultivation of material actually distracts attention from the real subject. But this was in keeping with contemporary taste for decorative history painting, which had gone to extremes in its meticulous attention to detail in the objects, furniture, and costumes.

The painting was exhibited at the Salon of ¹⁸²⁷⁄₂₈.