The Story of Tudor Art - by Christina J Faraday (Hardcover)

About the Book

An exploration of the volatile years of England's Tudor dynasty (1485-1603), using the art of the era - both images and objects - to investigate every facet of a period that continues to exert a remarkable allure.

Book Synopsis

A unique, illustrated history of Tudor England told through its art and artefacts.

The Tudor dynasty (1485-1603) gave England five monarchs and an age of relentless power plays, scandal, and transformation. Thanks to artists like Hans Holbein the Younger, we feel we have a definite idea of the characters of these famous kings and queens: the miserly Henry VII, the six-times married tyrant Henry VIII, the boy king Edward VI, the devout matriarch Mary I and the virgin queen Elizabeth I. Yet, iconic as they are, when it comes to Tudor art, portraits - and rulers - are far from the whole story.

In the sixteenth century, images and objects took on powerful new roles, as more people than ever before used them to shape their worlds. Monarchs, archbishops and courtiers continued to commission artworks in a variety of media, to convey messages and create a record of themselves as office-holders and individuals. But in this period, the 'middling sort', professional men and women, were also gaining status, wealth and influence. They wanted to promote themselves too, and used art and a dazzling array of objects to do so.

In this unique and beautiful book, Christina Faraday uses art - paintings, sculpture, prints, tapestries, embroideries, clothes, jewels and household objects - to investigate every facet of the period. Beside dissecting familiar portraits of Tudor kings, queens and nobles, Faraday casts a forensic eye across a dynamic array of artefacts, giving the reader a vivid and detailed feel for the political, social, economic and cultural texture of sixteenth-century England.

Review Quotes

"This is a treasury of art, objects, jewellery and clothes that tells the history of Tudors through the things that they loved, commissioned, lost, destroyed and sometimes cherished. The richness of the book is not just in the wealth of illustrations - but in the reading of them - whether it is the 'come hither' smile of Henry VII or the newly discovered reverse of a hidden panel. Whether you love art or the Tudors or both - this book is for you" --Philippa Gregory

"A vivid panorama of Tudor art in all its genres and media, fine, decorative and multifarious. Scintillatingly fresh, rooted in deep knowledge and understanding. A surprise awaits around every corner - I can't praise it enough" --John Guy, University of Cambridge

"An engaging and authoritative exploration of the art of the Tudor era, looking at not just paintings and sculpture, but throwing a wider net over the artistic legacy of this profuse age. Faraday rightly insists on the importance of textiles - including tapestries, embroideries and costume - now only faintly evoked by contemporary descriptions of Court spectacles, and in the few precious examples that survive" --Tim Knox, Director of the Royal Collection

"Faraday's writing has the playfulness of fiction and the heft of scholarship" --Amy Jeffs, author of STORYLAND

"Paintings and jewels, tapestries and clothes, Christina Faraday's The Story of Tudor Art has them all in abundance. Painstakingly researched and compellingly written, Faraday offers her readers a tantalising glimpse of the splendour that dominated the royal Tudor court, painting a vivid picture of sparkling magnificence. A dazzling achievement" --Dr Nicola Tallis

"A tremendous book, full of wonder and exquisite detail. It is lively, revelatory and, like its subject, beautifully wrought" --Jessie Childs

"Christina Faraday brings her astute and searching mind to visual art in the Tudor century, giving us a sparkling, expansive and much-needed account and, astonishingly, the first! No one with even a passing interest in the Tudors should be without it" --Suzannah Lipscomb

"From royal portraits to domestic embroidery, this superb and deeply researched book tells the story of art from our most captivating period of history as never before" --Bendor Grosvenor

"This book is as original as it is readable" --James Stourton

"Faraday's revelations - that tapestries were seen as the highest art form in Tudor society, for instance - breathe new life into the familiar stories of Holbein, Hilliard et al." --Apollo

"[A] lively, comprehensive and much-needed survey of Tudor material culture." --Katherine Harvey, The Times

"Revealing and beautifully illustrated." --Michael Prodger, Country Life

"Faraday proves to be a wonderful storyteller, with a gift for vividly evoking the past and its objects ... The Story of Tudor Art provides an excellent introduction to the visual and material culture of Tudor England ... Engaging." --Elizabeth Goldring, Literary Review

"Christina J. Faraday is a rising star in art history, and her verve and erudition are equally on display in this bravura overview of Tudor art." --Gavanndra Hodge, Times LUXX

About the Author

Christina J. Faraday is Research Fellow in History of Art at Gonville and Caius, Cambridge where she specialises in the art and architecture of Tudor England. She contributes regularly to various media outlets including BBC Radio and the Telegraph.