Elizabeth Cleland

The Tudors is a fascinating new look at the artistic legacy of the Tudor dynasty, revealing their influence on the arts in Renaissance England and beyond. Ruling successively from 1485 through 1603, the five Tudor monarchs changed England indelibly, using the visual arts to both legitimise and glorify their tumultuous rule—from Henry VII’s bloody rise to power, through Henry VIII’s...

Featuring detailed scenes of court pageantry and life-size portraits of members of the French Valois dynasty woven in wool, silk, and precious metal-wrapped threads, the Valois Tapestries are one of the most extravagant sets of hangings produced in the 16th century. The precise circumstances surrounding the tapestries’ commission and their arrival at the Medici court in Florence, as well as...