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Detail from showing paintings hanging on the wall of Buckingham House
Royal Portraiture

The Royal Collection holds royal portraits from visual works to decorative arts

REMIGIUS VAN LEEMPUT (D. 1675)

Henry VII, Elizabeth of York, Henry VIII and Jane Seymour

Dated 1667

RCIN 405750

Hans Holbein the Younger's depiction of Henry VIII (r.1509-1547) is perhaps the most famous and enduring image of royal portraiture. The Whitehall Mural, formerly at the Palace of Whitehall, depicts the King with his parents, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, and wife Jane Seymour. The bold, regal figure of Henry VIII is immediately recognisable.  

Ironically it is also a portrait which no longer exists, as it was destroyed in the fire which engulfed the palace in 1698. Instead, it is remembered through the preparatory cartoon and various copies such as this, and is testimony to the importance and endurance of royal portraiture. 


    The income from your ticket contributes directly to The Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity. The aims of The Royal Collection Trust are the care and conservation of the Royal Collection, and the promotion of access and enjoyment through exhibitions, publications, loans and educational activities.