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Genealogical Chronicle of the Kings of England

1466–67
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 305
Who should be the King of England? That is the question this elaborate medieval diagram dares to answer. Created during the War of the Roses, when the Houses of Lancaster and York were engaged in a bitter fight for the English throne, this multi-page chart enlivened with bright colors and gold leaf lands emphatically on Edward IV and the House of York. With efficiency and bravado, it places Edward within world history, tracing his lineage back to Adam and Eve and linking him to the great rulers of history including King David, Alexander the Great, King Arthur, and William the Conqueror. How could Henry VI, Edward’s bitter rival, possibly compete?

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Genealogical Chronicle of the Kings of England
  • Date: 1466–67
  • Culture: British
  • Medium: Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on parchment
  • Dimensions: Closed (38 pages when folded): 9 7/16 × 8 7/16 × 1 1/4 in. (24 × 21.5 × 3.2 cm)
    Open: 28 ft. 2 9/16 in. × 15 9/16 in. (860 × 39.5 cm)
    Other (Each unfolded opening): 18 1/8 × 15 9/16 in. (46 × 39.5 cm)
  • Classification: Manuscripts and Illuminations
  • Credit Line: The Cloisters Collection, 2018
  • Object Number: 2018.631
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

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Genealogical Chronicle of the Kings of England - British - The Metropolitan Museum of Art