Henry VIII

Hey

So Wednesday was my first day back at uni (for some reason I decided to do summer school) and was thrown into the chaos of assignments and study (oh joy).

I'm doing an Art History paper on 'The Art of Majesty' which is how English Kings and Queens from Henry VIII to Charles I displayed their power, wealth and to legitimize both themselves and their future heirs.

The first lecture was focused on Henry VIII and the portraits of him done by Hans Holbein in which the image that was created became the model for future portraits of the king and made him the most recognisable monarch even still today.

This is one of the numerous portraits of the king all of which have the exact same pose and pretty much the same outfit.  Henry wanted to show himself as a powerful, magnificent King and show his virility.  Its is clear that Henry is an imposing figure with him being depicted with very broad shoulders as well as the added bulky luxurious coat he is wearing.  The fur lining as well as the material used for his clothes shows that he is wealthy and is therefore able to pay for armies which contributes to his overall power.

 

Hope you all enjoyed this post, will possibly do a beauty post next time, hope you all have a great weekend x.