King Edward IV
1 of 37 portraits of King Edward IV
King Edward IV
by Unknown English artist
oil on panel, circa 1540
13 in. x 10 3/4 in. (330 mm x 273 mm)
Purchased, 1947
Primary Collection
NPG 3542
Sitterback to top
- King Edward IV (1442-1483), Reigned 1461-70 and 1471-83. Sitter associated with 37 portraits.
This portraitback to top
This painting is one of a series of depictions of kings of England which were produced towards the end of Henry VIII's reign by a workshop operating at that time.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Bolland, Charlotte; Cooper, Tarnya, The Real Tudors: Kings and Queens Rediscovered, 2014 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 12th September 2014 to 1st March 2015), p. 12
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 195
- Strong, Roy, Tudor and Jacobean Portraits, 1969, p. 86
- Williamson, David, Kings and Queens, 2010, p. 75
- Williamson, David, The National Portrait Gallery: History of the Kings and Queens of England, 1998, p. 75
Events of 1540back to top
Current affairs
King Henry VIII marries Anne of Cleves in January but then takes Catherine Howard as a mistress in June. Henry and Anne's marriage is annulled and he weds Catherine in July.Sir Thomas Cromwell is beheaded for High Treason. Catharine Howard's uncle, Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk replaces him as Henry VIII's chief minister.
Waltham Abbey becomes the final abbey to be closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Art and science
Stirling Palace begun for King James V of Scotland, it is built in the French Renaissance style.International
The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V enters Ghent in Flanders after the city had offered its allegiance to Francis I of France.Pope Paul III grants official approval the Catholic Order of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, through the papal bull Regimini militantis ecclesiae (To the Government of the Church Militant).
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