Special Guest Post by Sylvia Barbara Soberton, Author of Secrets of the Tudor portraits #HistoryWritersAdvent24

In today’s guest post (thank you for inviting me, Tony!) I am pleased to reveal the title and cover of my next book: Secrets of the Tudor Portraits. In this new book I will talk about the visual and symbolic language of Tudor portraiture, delving into the political, familial and cultural messages encoded within these iconic images. By examining key works and their historical context, I will uncover how the art of this period shaped—and was shaped by—the ambitions and insecurities of the Tudor dynasty.

Tudor portraits are among the most iconic artworks of English history, showcasing not just the physical likeness of monarchs and nobles but a carefully constructed image of power, virtue, and authority. These portraits often hold secrets beneath their painted surfaces, from symbolic details to hidden layers of paint. They serve as a fascinating window into the ambitions, insecurities, and values of the Tudor dynasty.
The beauty of Tudor portraiture lies in its ability to continually reveal new insights. 

As new identifications are made and fresh discoveries emerge, our understanding of this fascinating period evolves, challenging long-held perceptions and deepening our connection to the past. Through ongoing research, new theories and technical analyses, we are constantly deepening our knowledge about the Tudor dynasty, uncovering hidden layers that enrich the legacy of this fascinating period.

 

Portrait of Jane Seymour by Hans Holbein

The portrait of Jane Seymour by Hans Holbein illustrates my point well. In the past, historians referred to her physique, often describing Jane as unattractive. Upon closer inspection, however, we see a woman who carefully shaped her image through clothing and jewellery. Jane is dressed to impress in an opulent gown of red velvet with oversleeves wrought in gold thread. 

Her matching undersleeves and kirtle are made of silver brocade. She wears an English gable hood with a black veil falling to the side. The intricate pearl necklace with a striking golden pendant set with ruby and emerald commands attention. She wears a brooch with letters IHS, the first three letters of Jesus’s name in Greek, pinned to her bodice. The pendant suspended from her necklace is similar to the one worn by Katherine Howard and Katherine Parr in their portraits; the IHS brooch is visible in the miniature of Katharine of Aragon by Lucas Horenbout. 

These were crown jewels, symbolising Jane’s status as Henry VIII’s wife and Queen. If you look down, you will see a girdle belt with small beads shaped like vases. Those, I argue in the book, are references to St Mary Magdalene’s ointment jars. This is significant because it shows that Jane was eager to establish link between herself and that particular saint.

In Secrets of the Tudor Portraits I will be discussing paintings of such prominent figures as Margaret Beaufort, Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon, Henry VIII and his six wives, Thomas More and his learned daughters, Thomas Cromwell, Susanna Horenbout, Jane Grey and her sisters, Margaret Douglas, queens Mary I and Elizabeth I and many others.

Mary Tudor, Duchess of Suffolk

Is it possible that the sitter from the “Lady Bergavenny” portrait, often said to depict Anne Boleyn, is in fact Eleanor Stafford, Duchess of Buckingham? Can a contemporary portrait of Charles Brandon reveal a new date of his birth? What a now lost painting of Mary Tudor, Dowager Queen of France and Duchess of Suffolk can tell us about the way she constructed her image? Those and many other questions will be answered soon and I cannot wait to share my findings with you.

Sylvia Barbara Soberton

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About the Author

Sylvia Barbara Soberton is a writer and researcher specialising in the history of the Tudors. She is best known for The Forgotten Tudor Women book series, which concentrates on shifting the perspective from famous figures like Henry VIII’s six wives to the lesser-known, but no less influential, women of the Tudor court. Sylvia has written ten books to date, and her newest titles include The Forgotten Years of Anne Boleyn: The Habsburg & Valois Courts, Ladies-in-Waiting: Women Who Served Anne Boleyn and Medical Downfall of the Tudors: Sex, Reproduction & Succession. Her ground-breaking paper on Anne Boleyn and the accusation of witchcraft was published in the Royal Studies Journal in 2023.  You can find Sylvia on Facebook,  Goodreads and Twitter @SylviaBSo