Tudor Portraits
Before we make our portrait, Tudor Turkey thinks we should learn about who, how and why Tudor portraits were made!
In Tudor times artists were employed by the Kings and Queens and their courtiers to create portraits of them, they are known as Artists of the Tudor Court. The portraits helped show there wealth and royal status. The Tudor artists worked across many disciplines, including portrait miniatures, heraldry, jewellery and metalwork, decorative schemes for tournaments and illuminated manuscripts. The portrait was the most important form of painting for Tudor artists as demand for artworks from the church had been wiped out.
Tudor Royalty often didn't like sitting for their portraits and Hans Holbein was famously only allowed three hours with Henry VIII in which to make preliminary sketches before embarking on the final portrait. These preliminary drawings were called cartoons.
In Tudor times artists were employed by the Kings and Queens and their courtiers to create portraits of them, they are known as Artists of the Tudor Court. The portraits helped show there wealth and royal status. The Tudor artists worked across many disciplines, including portrait miniatures, heraldry, jewellery and metalwork, decorative schemes for tournaments and illuminated manuscripts. The portrait was the most important form of painting for Tudor artists as demand for artworks from the church had been wiped out.
Tudor Royalty often didn't like sitting for their portraits and Hans Holbein was famously only allowed three hours with Henry VIII in which to make preliminary sketches before embarking on the final portrait. These preliminary drawings were called cartoons.
Lets hope they didn't look like them two of HENRY VII.
They would also have a team of people to help them:
Artists of the Tudor period would manage a group of assistants or apprentices in a workshop or studio. Foreign artists were often recruited by the Court, particularly those from the Netherlands, though artists from Spain and Italy were also popular. The artist would visit their sitter at their palace to make preparatory drawings, and paintings would be completed fully in the studio. The artist would work on important areas of the painting such as the face whilst assistants would work on backgrounds and patterned areas. Assistants would also make copies of paintings to send to other monarchs throughout Europe.
They would also have a team of people to help them:
Artists of the Tudor period would manage a group of assistants or apprentices in a workshop or studio. Foreign artists were often recruited by the Court, particularly those from the Netherlands, though artists from Spain and Italy were also popular. The artist would visit their sitter at their palace to make preparatory drawings, and paintings would be completed fully in the studio. The artist would work on important areas of the painting such as the face whilst assistants would work on backgrounds and patterned areas. Assistants would also make copies of paintings to send to other monarchs throughout Europe.