1. Choose two portraits of the same monarch. (Postcards
of many of these portraits are available in the museum shop.) Compare
and contrast the way the ruler is portrayed in each portrait.
Consider such things as background setting, artifacts, facial images, individual
posture and stance, artistic style, and symbolism. What do such things
reveal about the history and culture of the era?
2. Choose two portraits of monarchs from different
dynasties (e.g., Plantagenet, Lancastrian, Yorkist, Tudor, Stuart, Georgian,
etc.). Compare and contrast the portrayal of each monarch.
Consider such things as background setting, artifacts, facial images, individual
posture and stance, artistic style, and symbolism. What images of
monarchy seem to remain constant over time? What aspects of portraiture
seem to vary the most?
Suggested Readings:
Strong, Roy C. Artists of the Tudor Court: The Portrait Miniature Rediscovered, 1520-1620. London: Victoria & Albert Museum, 1983.
Strong, Roy C. The English Icon: Elizabethan & Jacobean Portraiture. New York: Pantheon Books, 1969.
Strong, Roy C. Gloriana: The Portraits of Queen Elizabeth I. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1987.
Strong, Roy C. Holbein and Henry VIII. New Haven: Yale University Press c1967
Williamson, David. The Kings and Queens of England.
London: National Portrait Gallery, 1998.
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