Early Kings and Queens: a set of panel portraits
19 July - 4 December 2011
King William I ('The Conqueror')
by Unknown artist
1597-1618
NPG 4980(1)
King Stephen
by Unknown artist
1597-1618
NPG 4980(3)
King Henry II
by Unknown artist
1597-1618
NPG 4980(4)
This set of sixteen panel portraits was recently examined as part of the Making Art in Tudor Britain project. Portrait sets, particularly of English kings and queens, became popular in the second half of the sixteenth century. They were probably displayed high up in long galleries, halls and parlours, and acted as visual history lessons. Many of the surviving portraits from the late sixteenth century were most likely originally produced to be part of a set. Workshops were able to produce multiple copies, sometimes to order, using established portrait patterns from various sources. However, few sets have survived intact and technical analysis of the National Portrait Gallery set using techniques such as dendrochronology is providing fascinating insight into the way in which such sets were brought together.
Related resources
Case study 1 - Portraits of two medieval kings
Case study 2 - 16th Century double portrait
Case study 3 - Four portraits of Edward VI
Case study 4 - Henry VII
Case study 5 - Portrait of Bishop Foxe
Case study 6 - Portrait of John Astley
Case study 7 - Portraits based on designs by Hans Holbein the Younger
Case study 8 - Portrait of Sir Thomas Gresham
Case study 9 - Portrait of Sir Henry Lee
Case study 10 - The Phoenix and the PelicanIntroduction to Making Art in Tudor Britain
Scientific techniques
Survey highlights
Research highlights
Research team, collaboration and funding
Workshops
Related portraits
- Anne Boleyn (NPG 4980(15))
- King Edward III (NPG 4980(7))
- King Edward IV (NPG 4980(10))
- King Edward V (NPG 4980(11))
- King Henry I (NPG 4980(2))
- King Henry IV (NPG 4980(9))
- King Henry VII (NPG 4980(13))
- King Henry VIII (NPG 4980(14))
- Queen Mary I (NPG 4980(16))
- King Richard II (NPG 4980(8))
- King William I ('The Conqueror') (NPG 4980(1))
- King Richard III (NPG 4980(12))
- King John (NPG 4980(5))
- King Stephen (NPG 4980(3))
- King Edward I (NPG 4980(6))
- King Henry II (NPG 4980(4))