Images of Rule

Book excerpt: This is a fascinating and highly readable account of the vital role the visual arts played in Great Britain during the Tudor and early Stuart monarchies. David Howarth examines the intersection of art and political power between the accession of the Tudors and the outbreak of civil war and draws on images of the Royal court to fashion his innovative cultural and political history. Howarth concentrates on the public uses and political exploitation of Renaissance art, rather than its quality or the creative process behind it. He argues that the English ruling class used and manipulated portraiture, architecture, the decorative arts, and spectacle in order to reinforce its own power and preserve England's political status quo. Howarth carefully studies the royal palaces, commissioned portraits, tombs, and period monuments to show how each work influenced--and was influenced by--politics. Even England's highly political battle between Catholicism and Protestantism found expression in religious architecture and painting. Contesting the orthodox view that no important works of art were produced in Britain from 1485 to 1649, Howarth finds proof to the contrary in the work of Sir AnthonyVan Dyck, Christopher Wren, Hans Holbein, and Inigo Jones, among others. Finally, Howarth addresses the political implications of the decisions made by art patrons, collectors, and critics. Of great interest are the critical reactions to art and architecture recorded by contemporary writers such as the Renaissance poet John Skelton and civil war polemicist William Prynne. This is a fascinating and highly readable account of the vital role the visual arts played in Great Britain during the Tudor and early Stuart monarchies. David Howarth examines the intersection of art and political power between the accession of the Tudors and the outbreak of civil war and draws on images of the Royal court to fashion his innovative cultural and political history. Howarth concentrates on the public uses and political exploitation of Renaissance art, rather than its quality or the creative process behind it. He argues that the English ruling class used and manipulated portraiture, architecture, the decorative arts, and spectacle in order to reinforce its own power and preserve England's political status quo. Howarth carefully studies the royal palaces, commissioned portraits, tombs, and period monuments to show how each work influenced--and was influenced by--politics. Even England's highly political battle between Catholicism and Protestantism found expression in religious architecture and painting. Contesting the orthodox view that no important works of art were produced in Britain from 1485 to 1649, Howarth finds proof to the contrary in the work of Sir AnthonyVan Dyck, Christopher Wren, Hans Holbein, and Inigo Jones, among others. Finally, Howarth addresses the political implications of the decisions made by art patrons, collectors, and critics. Of great interest are the critical reactions to art and architecture recorded by contemporary writers such as the Renaissance poet John Skelton and civil war polemicist William Prynne.