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The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England

Cleland, Elizabeth and Adam Eaker, with contributions by Marjorie E. Wieseman and Sarah Bochicchio

2022

352 pages

300 illustrations

This title is in print.

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About the authors

This fascinating new look at the artistic legacy of the Tudors reveals the dynasty’s enduring influence on the arts of Renaissance England and beyond.

Ruling successively from 1485 through 1603, the five Tudor monarchs brought seismic changes to England that reverberated throughout Europe. They used the arts to legitimize and glorify their tumultuous rule, from Henry VII’s bloody rise to power, through Henry VIII’s breach with the Roman Catholic Church, to the reign of the “Virgin Queen” Elizabeth I. With incisive scholarship and sumptuous new photography, this book explores the extreme politics and outsize personalities of the Tudors, and how they used art in their diplomacy at home and abroad.

Tudor courts were truly cosmopolitan, attracting top artists and artisans from across Europe. At the same time, the Tudors nurtured local talent and gave rise to a distinctly English aesthetic, one that is forever connected to the myth and visual legacy of their dynasty. The Tudors reveals the true history behind a family that has long captured the public imagination, bringing to life their extravagant and politically precarious world through the exquisite paintings, lush textiles, gleaming metalwork, and countless luxury objects that adorned their spectacular courts.

Met Art in Publication

Andromache and Priam Urging Hector Not to Go to War (from Scenes from the Story of the Trojan War), Pasquier Grenier of Tournai Burgundian, Wool warp, wool wefts with a few silk wefts., South Netherlandish — Andromache and Priam Urging Hector Not to Go to War (from Scenes from the Story of the Trojan War)
Pasquier Grenier of Tournai
ca. 1470–90

Shilling of Philip and Mary, Silver, British — Shilling of Philip and Mary
1554

Furnishing Textile, Three loom widths of velvet cloth of gold with allucciolato effect and bouclé loops of gilded silver metal-wrapped threads, Italian, Florence — Furnishing Textile
late 15th–mid-16th century

Martyrdom of the Seven Maccabee Brothers and Their Mother, Dirck Vellert Netherlandish, Stained glass, Flemish, Antwerp — Martyrdom of the Seven Maccabee Brothers and Their Mother
Dirck Vellert
ca. 1530–35

Mail Brayette, Steel, German — Mail Brayette
15th to 16th century

Field Armor of King Henry VIII
of England (reigned 1509–47), Steel, gold, textile,
leather, Italian, Milan or Brescia — Field Armor of King Henry VIII of England (reigned 1509–47)
ca. 1544

Gilt-leather wall hangings (part of a set), De Gecroonde Son Dutch, Leather, silvered, painted and varnished, Dutch, Amsterdam — Gilt-leather wall hangings (part of a set)
De Gecroonde Son
ca. 1650–70

'Star Ushak' Carpet, Wool (warp, weft, and pile); symmetrically knotted pile — 'Star Ushak' Carpet
late 15th century

Bearing Cloth, Anonymous, Silk satin embroidered with silver and gilded silver metal-wrapped threads, British — Bearing Cloth
Anonymous
ca. 1600

Hunters in a Landscape, Anonymous, 16th century, Wool, silk (14 warps per inch; 5-6 per cm), British, probably London — Hunters in a Landscape
Anonymous, 16th century
ca. 1575–95

Chess and tric-trac game board, Wood, ivory, bone, mother-of-pearl, German — Chess and tric-trac game board
ca. 1550

Astronomicum Caesareum, Michael Ostendorfer German, Hand-colored woodcuts — Astronomicum Caesareum
Michael Ostendorfer
May 1540

The Christ Child Pressing the Wine of the Eucharist, Linen warp; wool, silk, and gilt weft yarns, South Netherlandish — The Christ Child Pressing the Wine of the Eucharist
ca. 1500

Cup and cover, Affabel Partridge British, Porcelain, gilded silver, British, London mounts and Chinese porcelain — Cup and cover
Affabel Partridge
Chinese porcelain, Ming dynasty, ca. 1507–66, British mounts ca. 1570

Ewer from Burghley House, Lincolnshire, Hard-paste porcelain, gilded silver, British, London mounts and Chinese porcelain — Ewer from Burghley House, Lincolnshire
Chinese porcelain 1573– ca. 1585, British mounts ca. 1585

Two-handled bowl from Burghley House, Lincolnshire, Hard-paste porcelain, gilded silver, British, London mounts and Chinese porcelain — Two-handled bowl from Burghley House, Lincolnshire
Chinese porcelain 1573– ca. 1585, British mounts ca. 1585

Cup with Cover, R W British, Mother-of-pearl, with gilded silver mounts, British, London — Cup with Cover
R W
1590–91

Wine Cup on a High Foot (Tazza), Gilded silver, British, London — Wine Cup on a High Foot (Tazza)
1599–1600

Blackwork Embroidery, Linen embroidered with silk and gilded silver precious metal-wrapped threads, British — Blackwork Embroidery
ca. 1590

The Lewknor Table Carpet, Wool and silk, Netherlandish, probably Enghien — The Lewknor Table Carpet
1564

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Cleland, Elizabeth A. H., Adam Eaker, Marjorie E. Wieseman, Sarah Bochicchio, Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.), Cleveland Museum of Art, and Legion of Honor (San Francisco, Calif.), eds. 2022. The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England

Met Art in Publication

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The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England

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