Quentin Metsys Elizabeth I The Sieve Portrait c. 1583
Elizabeth I of England, The Sieve Portrait. Elizabeth is portrayed as Tuccia, a Vestal Virgin who proved her chastity by carrying a sieve full of water from the Tiber to the Temple of Vesta. She is surround by symbols of imperial majesty including a column with an imperial crown at its base and a globe. The portrait is signed on the base of the globe 1583. Q. MASSYS ANT (for “of Antwerp”).