Iconographic themes in portraits of Henry VIII

Abstract

This dissertation examines the iconography of several portraits of King Henry VIII of England in light of contemporary literature and the political and religious events of the period. Some of the major iconographic themes considered include: the royal supremacy, Henry VIII as an emperor and heir of Constantine and King Arthur, the end of papal authority in England, the divine right of kings, the Tudor succession, the king as lawgiver, the translation of the bible into English, and the influence of Machiavelli on the image of the king. This study enlarges Roy Strong's thesis in Holbein and Henry VIII that the English Reformation signaled a change in the visual image of the king. This dissertation expands that concept while offering different interpretations of specific works of art. The evolution of Henrician portraiture can be categorized into three phases: the pre-Reformation, the Reformation proper (the 1530s), and the post-Reformation or post-Holbein age in the 1540s. In the first phase, paintings of Henry show him as an elegant Renaissance prince with little iconographic significance. During the Cromwellian era, the chief minister fashioned an iconographic image of the king which differed sharply from that of the preceding period. Under Cromwell's guidance and Hans Holbein the Younger's artistry, the king became a divine right monarch, an emperor, and head of the Anglican Church. In the post-Holbein era Henry generally eschewed his imperial iconography of the sword and book, and instead adopted an iconography focusing on stability and the royal succession during the first years of his reign. Half of this study is devoted to an examination of two Henrician bible title-pages, for the translation of scripture was crucial to the development of the English Reformation. Both bible projects were patronized by Thomas Cromwell and the title-pages reflected the Reformation statutes and the literature written to defend the actions taken in the 1530s. These literary efforts comprised works by Christopher St. German, Stephen Gardiner, Thomas Starkey, and Richard Morison.