Unknown artistFormerly unknown artist, sixteenth centuryafter Lucas de Heere, 1534–1584, Netherlandish
Title:
An Allegory of the Tudor Succession: The Family of Henry VIII
Date:
ca. 1590
Materials & Techniques:
Oil on panel
Dimensions:
45 × 71 3/4 inches (114.3 × 182.2 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1974.3.7
Gallery Label:
Made as Henry VIII’s dynasty was nearing its end, this painting celebrates the triumph of the Protestant church he established. The imagined scene depicts the king passing his sword to his son, Edward VI. His Protestant daughter, Elizabeth I, is accompanied by Peace, stamping the weapons beneath her feet, and Plenty, carrying a cornucopia filled with fruits and flowers. By contrast, Henry’s Catholic daughter, Mary I, and her husband, Philip II of Spain, stand near War, clad in armor and carrying a lance. The small portrait on the far left is of William Somers, the jester who served all four of these Tudor monarchs, and perhaps the only person who could have survived such violent swings of religious policy. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2025
