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Emblems of Monarchy
EDWARD IV, RICHARD III, HENRY VII AND HENRY VIII:
is an independent art historian who has
four kings whose reigns spanned a pivotal period in English
published extensively on his research interest,
history, from the Wars of the Roses to the Reformation. It is well
royal portraiture of the fifteenth and early
recognized that, in this era of personal monarchy, kings used visual
sixteenth centuries. He has been a Fellow of the
means, chiefly heraldry and pageantry, to represent themselves in
Society of Antiquaries of London since 2005.
the eyes of their subjects. This book focuses on the use of portraits as ‘emblems’ designed to function in a similar way in the elite circles of court and government. Frederick Hepburn explores the distinctive iconography of the portrait images that were devised to represent each of these four kings. In so doing he adds a fascinating new dimension to the study of these monarchs, and in particular sheds unexpected light on the character of the first of the Tudors, Henry VII. Here too is in-depth consideration of the portraits of other members of the early Tudor royal family — Prince Arthur and his sisters the princesses Margaret and Mary, Lady Margaret Beaufort and Katherine of Aragon. The author also looks at the occurrence of royal portraits in media other than painting in order to present as complete a picture as possible of the role played by such images during this period of transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.
IMAGE CREDIT Henry VIII, attributed to Meynnart Wewyck. Oil on oak panel, 38.9 × 26 cm. 1519 or early 1520s. Collection of Dr. Christopher Moran. © 2017 Christie’s Images Limited
HEPBURN
Royal Portraiture in Yorkist & Early Tudor England
Emblems of Monarchy
FREDERICK HEPBURN
Frederick Hepburn