Hans Holbein the Younger, Portrait of Henry VIII, 1540, oil on wood, Palazzo Barberini, Rome.
British Royal Portraits at MFAH Houston ‘Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits from Holbein to Warhol’ showcases masterworks of painting, sculpture, and photography dating from the first monarch of the House of Tudor, Henry VII, to Elizabeth II, the reigning queen of the United Kingdom. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), from October 7, 2018, to January 27, 2019.]]>
Source: MFAH Houston
Through some 150 objects—most never before seen outside of England—the survey showcases the extraordinary history and fascinating figures of five centuries of British royalty.
Tudors to Windsors highlights depictions of monarchy as a means to explore a changing nation throughout its history, from masterworks by Hans Holbein, Sir Peter Lely, and Sir Joshua Reynolds to the modern icons Cecil Beaton, Andy Warhol, and Annie Leibovitz. The exhibition draws from the unparalleled collection of the National Portrait Gallery, where royal portraits have been at the center of its collection since its founding during the reign of Queen Victoria in 1856. The MFAH has secured additional loans from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Palazzo Barberini, Rome; the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid; as well as the Snowdon Archive and National Gallery, London.
”Tudors to Windsors” explores four royal dynasties: the Tudors (1485–1603), the Stuarts (1603–1714), the Hanoverians (1714–1901), and the present-day House of Windsor. Recurring historical patterns of war, social and religious upheaval, economic and industrial progress and decline, and changing attitudes toward monarchy shape the fascinating backstory of these phenomenal portraits, which were primarily intended to project permanence, stability, serene power, and in modern times, domestic tranquility. Highlights include Hans Holbein the Younger’s monumental portrait of “Henry VIII”, which shows the infamous ruler without any of the standard royal accoutrements to convey his power through presence alone. This portrait, from the Palazzo Barberini collection, is the greatest surviving painting of Henry VIII by Holbein.
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