Visiting The Met? The Temple of Dendur will be closed Sunday, April 27 through Friday, May 9. The Met Fifth Avenue will be closed Monday, May 5.

Connections: The Tudors

Publications production manager Peter Antony revels in the drama running throughout the history of the Tudors.

April 27, 2011

5 min. watch

"It's risky to judge a medieval or early Renaissance family by modern psychotherapeutic standards, but they seem to me to have been extremely dysfunctional."

Publications production manager Peter Antony revels in the drama running throughout the history of the Tudors.

More from The Met

Video

Alethea Pace: between wave and water | Civic Practice Partnership 2023–2025

March 27

Glamour as Resistance

How did the legendary actor Anna May Wong use fashion to define her agency and legacy?

Cindy Kang

March 24

Samoylova’s images capture the trompe l’oeil of Florida, many to do with water and glass—the mise-en-abyme of cypress trunks reflected in a tannic creek.

Ange Mlinko

March 21

More in:ConnectionsInspiration

Art Mentioned

A slider containing 21 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

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)
Italian, Milan or Brescia
ca. 1544

Armor Garniture of George Clifford (1558–1605),
Third Earl of Cumberland, Jacob Halder British, Steel, gold, leather, textile, British, Greenwich — Armor Garniture of George Clifford (1558–1605), Third Earl of Cumberland
Jacob Halder
1586

Waistcoat, linen, silk, metal, British — Waistcoat
British
1615–20

King Philip II of Spain, Pompeo Leoni Italian, Marble, Spanish — King Philip II of Spain
Pompeo Leoni
second half 16th century

Elizabeth I of England (1533–1603), Onyx and gold, probably Italian — Elizabeth I of England (1533–1603)
probably Italian
ca. 1570–1600

Groat of Henry VII (1485–1509), Silver, British — Groat of Henry VII (1485–1509)
British
early 16th century

Half groat of Henry VIII (r. 1509–47), Silver, British — Half groat of Henry VIII (r. 1509–47)
British
1544–47

Pair of gloves, Leather, satin worked with silk and precious metal thread, seed pearls; satin, couching, and darning stitches; metal bobbin lace; paper, British — Pair of gloves
British
ca. 1600

Testoon of Henry VIII (third coinage), Silver, British, London — Testoon of Henry VIII (third coinage)
British, London
1509–47

Doll Tearsheet, Falstaff, Henry and Poins (Shakespeare, King Henry IV, Part 2, Act 2, Scene 4), William Satchwell Leney American, born England, Stipple engraving; third state of three — Doll Tearsheet, Falstaff, Henry and Poins (Shakespeare, King Henry IV, Part 2, Act 2, Scene 4)
Multiple artists/makers
first published 1795; reissued 1852

Mary I, Queen of England, Francis Delaram British, Engraving — Mary I, Queen of England
Multiple artists/makers
1600–1627

Queen Elizabeth I of England, Frans Huys Netherlandish, Engraving — Queen Elizabeth I of England
Multiple artists/makers
late 16th–early 17th century

Portrait of a Woman, British Painter British, Oil on wood — Portrait of a Woman
British Painter
ca. 1600

Mary, Queen of Scots, with Her Son, James, British Painter British, Oil on slate — Mary, Queen of Scots, with Her Son, James
British Painter
19th century

Portrait of a Young Man, Probably Robert Devereux (1566–1601), Second Earl of Essex, Nicholas Hilliard British, Vellum laid on card — Portrait of a Young Man, Probably Robert Devereux (1566–1601), Second Earl of Essex
Nicholas Hilliard
1588

Portrait of a Man in Royal Livery, Hans Holbein the Younger German, Oil and gold on parchment, laid down on linden — Portrait of a Man in Royal Livery
Hans Holbein the Younger
1532–35

Margaret Roper (Margaret More, 1505–1544), Hans Holbein the Younger German, Vellum laid on playing card — Margaret Roper (Margaret More, 1505–1544)
Hans Holbein the Younger
1535–36

Thomas Wriothesley (1505–1550), First Earl of Southampton, Hans Holbein the Younger German, Vellum laid on card — Thomas Wriothesley (1505–1550), First Earl of Southampton
Hans Holbein the Younger
ca. 1535

Lady Lee (Margaret Wyatt, born about 1509), Hans Holbein the Younger German, Oil and gold on oak — Lady Lee (Margaret Wyatt, born about 1509)
Hans Holbein the Younger
early 1540s

Edward VI (1537–1553), When Duke of Cornwall, Hans Holbein the Younger German, Oil and gold on oak — Edward VI (1537–1553), When Duke of Cornwall
Hans Holbein the Younger
ca. 1545; reworked 1547 or later

The Last Supper, Bernard van Orley Netherlandish, Wool, silk, silver-gilt thread. — The Last Supper
Bernard van Orley
Pieter de Pannemaker
ca. 1525–28