Tarnya Cooper

Charlotte Bolland

Who were the Tudor kings and queens and what did they really look like? Mention Henry VIII and the familiar image of the rotund, bearded fellow of Hans Holbein the Youngers portraits immediately springs to mind reinforced, perhaps, by memories of a monochromatic Charles Laughton wielding a chicken leg in a fanciful biopic. With Elizabeth I its frilly ruffs, white make-up and pink lips in fact, just as she appears in a number of very well-known portraits held in the Collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London. But the familiarity of these representations has overshadowed the other images of the Tudor monarchs that were produced throughout their reigns. During the sixteenth century the market for portraits grew and so the monarchs images multiplied as countless versions and copies of their likeness were produced to satisfy demand. Taken together, these images chart both the changing iconography of the ruler and the development of portrait painting in England. In considering the context in which these portraits were made, the motivations of the sitters and the artists who made them, the purposes to which they were put, and the physical transformations and interventions they have undergone in the intervening five centuries, the authors present a compelling and illuminating investigation into the portraiture of the Tudor monarchs.

Kings and Queens Rediscovered

The Real Tudors

Charles Ford

27.1.-13.3.1992, The Strang Print Room, University College, London

The Strang Print Room and Its Donors

Investigates the authenticity of the Chandos portrait and five others as true likenesses of playwright William Shakespeare, and explores Shakespeare's life and world, presenting and describing individual costumes, theater models, manuscripts, and maps from his time as well as portraits of his contemporaries.

Searching for Shakespeare

Sandy Nairne

A national pantheon of the greatest names in British history and culture, the Collection of the National Portrait Gallery contains more than 11,000 paintings, sculptures and works on paper and over a quarter of a million photographs. There are kings and queens, courtiers and courtesans, politicians and poets, soldiers and scientists, artists and writers, philosophers and film stars individuals from every sphere. This book presents a broad selection of the personalities that have shaped the last four centuries of British life, from Elizabeth I to David Beckham, from Shakespeare to Seamus Heaney, portrayed by artists as diverse as Hans Holbein, David Bailey, Joshua Reynolds and Paula Rego. The featured works are arranged chronologically in sections, each of which is prefaced by a text written by the curator responsible for that period, drawing on their expert knowledge and recent research. Each image is accompanied by an extended caption that provides key information on the sitter and the artist and places the work in its historical and creative context. Special features, which include making art in Tudor Britain, miniatures, sculpture, early photography, twenty- and twenty-first-century photography, self-portraits, celebrity and non-traditional media, offer insight into particular areas of the Collection. A fascinating introductory essay explains the history and purpose of this great public institution and is illustrated with a wealth of rare and illuminating material from the Gallerys extensive archive, including photographs, plans, letters and sketchbooks, some previously unpublished.

Tarnya Cooper

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