Oil Painting, 'Henry VII (1457-1509)', British School, 16th century

An oil portrait of Henry VII, half length, three-quarter face. He is clean-shaven and wears a black cap with a gold badge with a red jewel in the centre, a heavily embroidered tunic with a crimson velvet cloak edged with fur, and a black stole edged with fur. On a finger of either hand is a ring. In his right hand he holds a red rose. His left hand rests on a green ledge in front of him. The background is brown, with a gilt festoon of foliated ornament at the top.

Bequeathed by John Jones

This portrait was bequeathed to the museum by John Jones (1800-1882), in 1882.
John Jones (1800-1882) was first in business as a tailor and army clothier in London 1825, and opened a branch in Dublin 1840. Often visited Ireland, travelled to Europe and particularly France. He retired in 1850, but retained an interest in his firm. Lived quietly at 95 Piccadilly from 1865 to his death in January 1882. After the Marquess of Hertford and his son Sir Richard Wallace, Jones was the principal collector in Britain of French 18th century fine and decorative arts. Jones bequeathed an important collection of French 18th century furniture and porcelain to the V&A, and among the British watercolours and oil paintings he bequeathed to the V&A are subjects which reflect his interest in France.

See also South Kensington Museum Art Handbooks. The Jones Collection. With Portrait and Woodcuts. Published for the Committee of Council on Education by Chapman and Hall, Limited, 11, Henrietta Street. 1884.
Chapter I. Mr. John Jones. pp.1-7.
Chapter II. No.95, Piccadilly. pp.8-44. This gives a room-by-room guide to the contents of John Jones' house at No.95, Piccadilly.
Chapter VI. ..... Pictures,... and other things, p.138, "The pictures which are included in the Jones bequest are, with scarcely a single exception, valuable and good; and many of them excellent works of the artists. Mr. Jones was well pleased if he could collect enough pictures to ornament the walls of his rooms, and which would do no discredit to the extraordinary furniture and other things with which his house was filled."

Historical significance: Henry the VII (1447-1509), was the son of Edmund Tudor (1431-1456), Earl of Richmond and head of the house of Lancaster, and Margaret Beaufort (1443-1509). Henry VII was brought up in Wales by his uncle Jasper Tudor. After defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, Henry successfully claimed the English throne. His claim to the throne was strengthened by the fact that his mother was a member of the House of Beaufort. He was crowned King of England and Lord of Ireland in 1485. His reign began the Tudor Dynasty, which ran from 1485 to 1603.

In 1486 married Elizabeth, Princess of York (1465-1503), daughter of Edward IV (1442-1483). This marriage unified the previously opposed houses of Lancaster and York. It also strengthened Henry VII's role as king, whilst making all his children rightful heirs to the throne.

This half-length portrait shows Henry the VII against a dark background. The sitter turns slightly to his left whilst looking out of the composition. The top of the panel painted to emulate a decorative gold frame with floral motifs. This occurs in British portraiture from the beginning of the sixteenth century (Shaw, 1911, p. 75). Henry VII wears a black cap embellished with a brooch. He is dressed in a maroon velvet robe with a fur collar. Around his neck he wears a chain of office of gold and precious stones. The fur lining of the robe can be seen at the edge of the sleeves and beneath he wears a tunic of cloth of gold. The Italian historian Polydor Vergil (1470-1555), describing the King's appearance, wrote: "His body was slender but well built and strong; his height above average. His appearance was remarkably attractive and his face was cheerful, especially when speaking; his eyes were small and blue, his teeth few, poor and blackish; his hair was thin and white; his complexion sallow" (Polydor Vergil, Anglica Historia 1485-1537, published 1557, [RHS Camden Series Vol. 74, ed. Denys Hay).


His left hand rests on a ledge, which is painted to give the illusion of entering the audience's space. In his right hand he holds a red rose, the symbol of the House of Lancaster. This is a common feature of portraits of Henry VII. It refers to the establishment of the House of Lancaster on the throne of England following Henry VII’s victory over Richard III (1452-1485). This iconography also occurs in portraits of Henry VII at the National Portrait Gallery (London, Museum Number: NPG 4980(13)) and in the Society of Antiquarians (London, Inventory: Scharf XXII-Museum Number: 329 see also Strong, 1969, vol. 1, p. 151 and vol. 2 n. 293. Also the Society of Antiquarians Inventory: Scharf XXIV-Museum Number: 298, depicting a middle-aged Henry VII). It is likely that 582-1882 would have been hung with a pendant showing Henry VII's wife, Elizabeth of York, holding the white rose of the House of York to represent the different families of the Royal couple. Such examples survive in the Royal Collection and were probably commissioned at the time of their marriage.

In his catalogue Tudor & Jacobean Portraits, Strong lists 572-1882 with sixteen known copies after a lost original portrait of Henry VII. Although the original source is now lost Strong identifies it as probably one of the two recorded in the Inventory of Henry VIII (see Strong, Tudor & Jacobean Portraits 1969, vol. 1, p. 151).The portrait at the V&A is very close to one kept by the Society of Antiquaries of London (Museum No. 329). This can be seen both in the composition, through using a framing device, and the representation of the sitter and details of dress. Other similar portraits can be found in the Royal Collection; Christ Church, Oxford; and Hever Castle.

References:
Strong, Roy, Tudor & Jacobean Portraits, National Portrait Gallery, London, 1969, vol. 1, p. 151.

Polydor Vergil, Anglica Historia 1485-1537, published 1557, [RHS Camden Series Vol. 74, ed. Denys Hay.

In his encyclopaedic work, Historia Naturalis, the ancient Roman author Pliny the Elder described the origins of painting in the outlining of a man's projected shadow in profile. In the ancient period, profile portraits were found primarily in imperial coins. With the rediscovery and the increasing interest in the Antique during the early Renaissance, artists and craftsmen looked back to this ancient tradition and created medals with profile portraits on the obverse and personal devise on the reverse in order to commemorate and celebrate the sitter. Over time these profile portraits were also depicted on panels and canvas, and progressively evolved towards three-quarter and eventually frontal portraits.

These portraits differ in many ways from the notion of portraiture commonly held today as they especially aimed to represent an idealised image of the sitter and reflect therefore a different conception of identity. The sitter's likeness was more or less recognisable but his particular status and familiar role were represented in his garments and attributes referring to his character. The 16th century especially developed the ideal of metaphorical and visual attributes through the elaboration of highly complex portrait paintings in many formats including at the end of the century full-length portraiture.

It was during the reign of Henry VII that the Portraiture started to flourish in England. This followed the development of the genre in other European Courts. Henry VII commissioned many portraits of himself and his wife. This reflects contemporary interest in Europe in the use of portraiture as a means of royal propaganda. Most of the surviving portraits of the Henry VII were produced in the 16th. These stem from the same composition, showing the king in three-quarter pose, turning to his left or right. This recurring model made the portraits of the King easily recognisable by his subjects.

572-1882