White for Purity, Gold for Wealth; Purple, Violet, and Blue for Royalty and Piety. This gallery shows pictures from the 16th-19th centuries of high ranking or royal people featured in these colors.
Virgin of the Adoption, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, 1858, From the collection of: National Gallery of Victoria
Who more royal in this age than the Virgin Mary? She is very often portrayed wearing red with blue draped over her.
The Virgin and Child in a Landscape, Jan Provoost, early 16th century, From the collection of: The National Gallery, London
Here is Mary again, this time it is her dress that is blue.
Portrait of Catherine II, Fedor Rokotov, 1763, From the collection of: The State Tretyakov Gallery
Catherine II, otherwise known as Catherine the Great, was the longest ruling female leader in the Russian Empire. She is shown here garbed with white and blue.
Isabella II, Federico de Madrazo, 1849, From the collection of: Museo Nacional del Romanticismo
Isabella II, former Queen of Spain at the time. Her portrait here is much more flattering than her photos, and she is seen here dressed in blue and white.
Leon the Priest here, garbed in dark greens and black; however, the viewer's eye is drawn to the medals and cuffs that he is wearing, which are all shades of blue and white.
Cristopher Columbus at the Court of the Catholic Monarchs, Juan Cordero, 1850, From the collection of: Museo Nacional de Arte
Our eyes are drawn to the King and Queen, who are both dressed in gold and white. Even the court that surrounds them are dressed in similar colors.
Empress Eugénie, Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1854, From the collection of: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Empress Eugénie, last Empress consort of the French and wife to Napoleon III. She is seen here dressed in white and purple.
Portrait of Catherine II, Empress of Russia in the Park, Vladimir Borovikovskiy, 1794, From the collection of: The State Tretyakov Gallery
Revisiting Empress Catherine II, a little more into her future. Although much older and not as youthful and imposing, she is dressed in blue to imply her lingering royalty and elegance.
Maria Theresa as Queen of Hungary, Viennese painter, 1740/1741, From the collection of: Hungarian National Gallery
Queen of Hungary, and known through the Austro-Hungarian Empire as the Mother of Kings, she is seen here dressed in white, gold, and blue.
The Duchess of Clarence, later Queen Adelaide, Samuel RAVEN, c.1818, From the collection of: Art Gallery of South Australia
Later to become the wife of King William IV of England, she is seen here dressed in shades of blue and violet.
Princess of Denmark, although she is mostly dressed in the bold red color, she is still holding her royal blues and white around her body, almost similar to the palette of the Virgin Mary.
The Nativity, Fra Bartolommeo (Baccio della Porta) (Italian, 1472–1517), 1504/07, From the collection of: The Art Institute of Chicago
Speaking of which, we revisit the Virgin Mary here again this older piece depicting the Nativity. You can see that she is dressed in green, but it is overpowered by the blue robes that are over her.
Queen Charlotte, Benjamin West, 1738–1820, American, active in Britain (from 1763), 1777, From the collection of: Yale Center for British Art
Wife to King George II of England, here dressed in white and violet.
Christina of Sweden, Abraham Wuchters, 1661, From the collection of: Skokloster Castle
Christina, Queen of Sweden at the time of this piece. She is shown dressed in white and blue.
Charles I (1600-49) with M. de St Antoine, Sir Anthony Van Dyck, 1633, From the collection of: Royal Collection Trust, UK
Charles I, monarch of the three kingdoms that, together, become the Untied Kingdom. Be is seen here in his armor with a blue sash.
Charles I (1600-49), Sir Anthony Van Dyck, 1635 - Before June 1636, From the collection of: Royal Collection Trust, UK
Later in his rule, here he is again, dressed in various colors--purple being one of them--and wearing a blue medal.
Portrait of Queen Maria Casimire with children, Jerzy Eleuter Szymonowicz Siemiginowski, 1684, From the collection of: The Wilanów Palace Museum
Wife of King John III Sobieski of Poland, she is often portrayed in blue and red similar to the Virgin Mary. Here she is with her children dressed in shades of blue, white, and gold.
(Framed, post-cons.), From the collection of: The J. Paul Getty Museum
Another revisit to the Virgin Mary, to compare, she is here dressed in blue and red, while the saints around here are dressed in whites and golds.
A Young Bride, Hendrick Munnichhoven, c. 1654, From the collection of: Skokloster Castle
The daughter of a prominent Swedish soldier, Hans Christoff von Königsmarck. She is seen here dressed in white and blue.
Marie-Antoinette with the Rose, Louise Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, 1783, From the collection of: Palace of Versailles
Marie Antoinette is a queen who needs to introduction. She is seen here dressed in blue and white.
Hamlet: Act IV, Scene V (Ophelia and Laertes), Benjamin West (American, b.1738, d.1820), 1792, From the collection of: Cincinnati Art Museum
The final two paintings are depictions of Shakespeare plays. Here is Ophelia before the King and Queen of Denmark. They are dressed in whites, golds, and blues.
Oberon and Titania from "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Act IV, Scene i, Thomas Stothard, 1755–1834, British, 1806, From the collection of: Yale Center for British Art
And the most regal of all fictional royals, we have Oberon and Titania, and their court of faeries. The King and Queen are seen here dressed in blues and whites.
Credits: All media
This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
National Gallery of Victoria
The Wilanów Palace Museum
The National Gallery, London
Art Gallery of South Australia
Hungarian National Gallery
The J. Paul Getty Museum
Museo Nacional del Romanticismo
Cincinnati Art Museum
Museo Nacional de Arte
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Royal Collection Trust, UK
Palace of Versailles
The State Tretyakov Gallery
The Art Institute of Chicago
Yale Center for British Art
Skokloster Castle