Portraits in Tudor England

Aims of the course

This course aims to:
1. Uncover the many motivations behind portrait commissioning in Tudor England;
2. Review a range of portraits from the period, both well-known and lesser known;
3. Discuss the techniques involved in painting and communicating through art.

Content

Portraits provide some of the most iconic images from Tudor England. From life-size images of monarchs to representations of ‘middling’ professionals, portraits reveal a huge amount about the people and the culture. This course will explore the ways that portraits were made and used across different sectors of society. We’ll look at the importance of image control and visual propaganda, the solutions that artists and patrons suggested for problems of representation, and we will discuss the ways that techniques and materials can contribute their own layers of meaning to the image.

This course will explore the portrait’s place in the artistic, religious, political and social world of 16th-century England. We’ll consider the motivations of portrait sitters, and the purposes that these images could fulfil for royalty, nobility and the ‘middling sort’. In particular, we’ll look at the impact that royal artists such as Hans Holbein had on the presentation of the monarch’s image, and the solutions they found for the problem of how to frame Elizabeth I: the country’s first unmarried, Protestant, young female monarch. Besides famous portraits in oil, we’ll also consider lesser-known royal representations, such as the life-size effigies of monarchs used in funeral processions, now at Westminster Abbey.

Moving from the life-size to the miniature, we’ll take a look at the breath-taking portrait miniatures of Nicholas Hilliard and Isaac Oliver, exploring the special role that these objects played in negotiating social and diplomatic relationships. We’ll also consider the ‘middling sort’, a growing body of professional and politically-powerful men (and women), who in the sixteenth century began to use images of themselves to show off and consolidate their new-found political and social status. Throughout the course we’ll see portraits in a range of media, challenging traditional ideas about the hierarchy of the arts in self-representation.

Presentation of the course

Dr Faraday aims to make the classes entertaining and engaging, with opportunities for discussion and collaboration, as well as field trips whenever possible.

Class sessions

1. Introduction: Tudor Lives and the Uses of Portraits
In this session we discuss the many different reasons for having your portrait painted in England in the 16th century, where portraits were seen and how their display affected their interpretation.

2. Royal Portraiture Before and after Holbein
We discuss the impact that Hans Holbein the Younger had on representations of royalty in the 16th century, and the approaches taken before his appearance on the scene.

3. Portrait Miniatures: Materiality and Intimacy
In this session we consider Nicholas Hilliard’s extraordinary account of his own practice alongside the techniques of portrait miniature painting used by him and his pupil Isaac Oliver.

4. Portraits and the ‘Middling Sort’
We uncover the professionals beyond the court who also sought to have their portraits painted in the period, considering their individual motivations, and the specific pitfalls and concerns that might have affected their choices.

5. Elizabeth I and Image Management
We discuss Elizabeth I’s ministers’ approach to Elizabeth’s public image and the way that this developed over her reign. We ask whether it can be judged successful – and in whose eyes.

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes for this course are:
1. Better understand the role that portraits played in Tudor society.
2. Be able to identify and interpret key symbols and iconography in a range of well-known portraits.
3. Better appreciate the methods and materials used in the creation of portraits. 4. Acquire a greater understanding of Tudor society, history and culture.

Required reading

There is no required reading for this course.

Typical week: Monday to Friday

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students. 

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.

Evaluation and Academic Credit 

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses. 

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay.

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.

Certificate of attendance

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.