Royal Portraiture
The Royal Collection holds royal portraits from visual works to decorative arts
Henry VII, Elizabeth of York, Henry VIII and Jane Seymour
Dated 1667RCIN 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.