Magnificence and Splendour - The Royal Art Collection in the Court of King Henry VIII
Morning Lecture
21 June 2023
Detail from the oil painting The Field of the Cloth of Gold, c. 1545
No English king is as well-known to us as Henry VIII – famous for his six marriages, for dissolving the monasteries and for the ruthless destruction of his foes. But Henry was also an ardent patron of the arts, whose magnificent tapestries and paintings adorned his lavish court and began the Royal Collection.
In contrast to later royal collectors, Henry was more interested in storytelling than art for its own sake, and all his commissions relate to one central tale: the glorification of the king and his realm. Henry’s life can be seen through his collection and the works reveal much about both his kingship and his insecurities.
Our Speaker Linda Collins holds a BA in Early Italian art, an MA in the History of Art and a diploma in French language and culture. She was a guide/lecturer for Historic Royal Palaces for more than twenty years, based principally at Hampton Court Palace. An accredited Arts Society lecturer, a member of the Association of Art Historians and a lecture organiser, Linda has appeared in the PBS TV programme, ‘The Secrets of Henry VIIIs Palace’, has spoken on a number of radio programmes and has lectured on numerous occasions across Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Her two published works, with Siobhan Clarke, are King & Collector: Henry VIII and the Art of Kingship and Gloriana: Elizabeth I and the Art of Queenship
Linda Collins