Why does queen Elizabeth the 1st have a rat on her shoulder in a portrait?

Question

any significant meaning?

Answer 1

The white ermine is suppose to represent virginity.

She was a virgin when she became queen.

Answer 2

I have seen a needlepoint portrait of Queen Elizabeth Ist with a rat on her shoulder.  It was stitched by Mary, Queen of Scots whilst she was in prison.  The rat actually represented Mary, Queen of Scots and she considered Queen Elizabeth 1st to be a cat (also in portrait).

This was to represent the fact that Elizabeth was about to execute Mary - just as a cat would eat a rat.

I actually have a copy of the needlepoint portrait to stitch which I purchased in Scotland years ago.

Answer 3

It's not a rat.  It's an ermine.  It's kind of like a ferret or weasel.  They're also used to make fur coats.

** Add **

I think ermines were called "stoats" also.  They were the symbol of royalty; and, if you look closely at the animal in the portrait you're talking about, you can see the gold crown it wears.

More importantly, ermines were also a very important symbol of purity.  The ermine  symbolizes the virginity and innocence of the queen.  This shift to portraying the Queen as a "perpetual virgin" is a result of the failure of the courtship of the Duke of Alençon in 1583. After this failure, the Queen made a point to exploit the fact that she was not bound to political compromises that came with royal marriages.