Henry and Katherine Reunited

King Henry VIII
unknown Anglo-Netherlandish artist, c.1520
© National Portrait Gallery, London
NPG 4690

Katherine of Aragon
unknown artist, c.1520
By permission of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Church Commissioners
NPG L246

A recently re-identified portrait of Katherine of Aragon, which is on long-term loan to the Gallery from Lambeth Palace, is displayed alongside a portrait of Henry VIII from the same period. The portrait of Katherine of Aragon has undergone extensive conservation treatment, which has revealed the green damask background in the painting, and the original decorative scheme on the frame. Both paintings are likely to be examples of the type of portrait of the king and queen that would have been produced in multiple versions, some of which would have been paired in this way.

Find out more about the conservation of Katherine of Aragon

© National Portrait Gallery, London