Features
Here we track down the various versions of the Henry portrait, explore the cult of Henry as trend-setter, take a closer look at one of the many versions of this famous image and interview royal biographer Alison Weir.
Henry VIII and the Reformation
Holbein’s portrait of Henry VIII is a deliberate piece of propaganda, of image-making. And it is no wonder that Henry was keen to promote an image of himself as robust, intimidating and powerful. He was in the middle of a campaign to assert his authority over his subjects – not only over their often brief lives, but over their everlasting faith, too…
The Petworth Portrait
Josephine Barry, collections manager at Petworth House in West Sussex, discusses the history of Petworth’s version of the Holbein portrait.
Interview: Alison Weir, the King's Biographer
Alison Weir is a popular and acclaimed biographer and historian. She spoke to ICONS about Henry, Holbein and her book 'Henry VIII: King And Court'.
Where Can I See It?
Copies of Holbein’s portrait of Henry VIII are scattered around the UK, and further afield. Some of these works are known to have come from Holbein’s studio, and were probably done by assistants or followers in the years immediately after the creation of the Whitehall Palace mural in 1537.
A Closer Look
The most famous portrait of Henry VIII was painted as part of a mural on one of the walls of Henry’s privy chamber (private apartment) in the Palace of Whitehall in 1537. The original was to be lost when the Palace burned down in January 1698, after a laundry maid left a pile of washing drying in front of an open fire, but copies of the painting survive in various locations throughout the UK, as well as one in Rome.
Ten things…
Do you really know your Henry VIII? ICONS has dug up some interesting facts of which you might not have been aware...
Shakespeare on Holbein
In his history play Henry VIII, or All is True, Shakespeare acknowledges that Henry’s image had iconic resonances.
Foreign Artists in the English Court
Until Henry’s Reformation, most English art emanated from the Catholic Church, so artists concentrated on portraying saints, apostles and Biblical tales, rather than monarchs, their families and courtiers.
