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-       As Poppy explains, the painting clearly presents the magnitude and grandeur of the Field of Cloth of Gold. Although there may be some inaccuracies in this depiction, it is clear that the event was one of great magnificence. The temporary palace, named the ‘crystal palace’ by the French, is exhibited in all its glory. The sheer size and splendour of the temporary palace stood to present England as a power to be reckoned with. Even better for Henry, when a storm occurred the French tents collapsed, whilst the palace remained above all of the French lodgings. Inevitably, the painting focuses on the English excellence, as supported by the clarity of Henry’s illustration, in comparison to others in the painting. As Sam and others support, the event demonstrated Wolsey’s engagement with the European stage, whilst depicting that he had been the broker between two youthful and competitive monarchs. As Glenn Richardson explains, gift-giving and the presence of the monarch was a display of peace and comfortability, however there was always an underlying sense of rivalry. This event was an opportunity for Henry and England to present their wealth, magnificence, and power in Europe, which they evidently succeeded in doing. Overall, the event was a triumph for the English; the Field of Cloth of Gold not only affirmed the power of England on the European stage, but also displayed England’s wealth, magnificence, and craftmanship, despite having a much smaller population that its European allies.

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The painting itself, regardless of the physical and historical inaccuracies, beautifully depicts the lavish event of the Field of the Cloth of Gold as one embodied by fierce competition between Europe's leading powers. The painting illuminates the extensive grandeur of the English camp, which is the most impressive part of the painting, with the temporary palace and the red and gold colour scheme showing Henry VIII's incessant need to display his wealth and prestige of not only himself and his people, but the Tudor dynasty as a whole. Henry is the most noticeable monarch within the painting, which is crucial in the context of the geopolitical affairs of the decade; he is dressed in gold and his tournament armour alone was decorated in 2,000 ounces of gold and 1,100 enormous pearls to show Henry's determination to make England a critical player on the European arena, the painting explicitly drawing parallels between Henry's gold clothing and the tents also being gold. The fact that Henry is most obviously depicted in the painting also shows the significance of how England was only beginning to assert itself as a leading European power, compared to France their population was smaller at 2 million compared to around 6 million, that Henry is the main figurehead of the painting is very telling. The temporary palace erected by Henry and Wolsey and the fountain of wine in the painting show how Henry's youth and love for entertainment and festivities interacted to produce a competitive material display and a portrayal of Henry's wealth enabling him to embark on ambitious projects to present the power of the Tudor monarchy and dynasty as a force to be reckoned with.

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At first glance, my eyes were drawn to Henry and the emphasis on his grandeur through the regal red and gold colour scheme. I find it interesting that despite the 12,000 people in attendance, Henry is the stand-alone figure we are immediately made to think of. Also, the connection between the gold on Henry's clothes and the use of gold for the tents suggests to me the necessity on Henry's behalf to manifest himself within European affairs, especially alongside likeminded counterparts such as Francis. Overall I find the painting a vivid capture of the glory and magnificence Henry sought to promote at the event. - Lucy

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The depiction of Henry caught my eye at first glance, as the King, although not centre in the frame, is a clear focal point of the painting. Depicted in red and gold,  Henry is shown as being the figure of power and wealth in the scene, which in the context of the meeting between Henry and Francis in June 1520 was extremely significant.  The painting shows the town Guines, the town that the English royal encampment lodged in throughout the tournament. The depiction of Guines itself adds to the image of Henry's power, wealth and magnificence as the King, as the painting emphasises the temporary palace that Henry had erected for the duration of the tournament. Richardson emphasises the significance of the temporary palace as representative of Henry's magnificence as King; Richardson states that in Ardres (the French Royal Encampment) the royal family stayed in large pavilions and tents, whereas the English King lodged in a palace. Throughout the painting there are depictions of the tudor rose, solidifying the idea of the Tudor dynasty being the legitimate dynastic rulers over England, thus solidifying the Tudor Myth that Henry VII established. The depiction of the dragon flying over Guines also caught my eye, as personally I believe that the dragon is a representation of England's patron saint, St. George.Thus again solidifying the Tudor Dynasty and the power of Henry both over his subjects and in the international arena.

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The depiction of Henry caught my eye at first glance, as the King, although not centre in the frame, is a clear focal point of the painting. Depicted in red and gold,  Henry is shown as being the figure of power and wealth in the scene, which in the context of the meeting between Henry and Francis in June 1520 was extremely significant.  The painting shows the town Guines, the town that the English royal encampment lodged in throughout the tournament. The depiction of Guines itself adds to the image of Henry's power, wealth and magnificence as the King, as the painting emphasises the temporary palace that Henry had erected for the duration of the tournament. Richardson emphasises the significance of the temporary palace as representative of Henry's magnificence as King; Richardson states that in Ardres (the French Royal Encampment) the royal family stayed in large pavilions and tents, whereas the English King lodged in a palace. Throughout the painting there are depictions of the tudor rose, solidifying the idea of the Tudor dynasty being the legitimate dynastic rulers over England, thus solidifying the Tudor Myth that Henry VII established. The depiction of the dragon flying over Guines also caught my eye, as personally I believe that the dragon is a representation of England's patron saint, St. George.Thus again solidifying the Tudor Dynasty and the power of Henry both over his subjects and in the international arena.

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Georgia

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I thought it was interesting how in the painting the French party, in Ardres, is in the background and presented as being clearly much smaller than the English, even though it is emphasised in the secondary readings and in the podcast that equality between the two party's was of great importance - it was agreed that there would be six thousand people attending on each side. The painter has not represented this in the painting, it only depicts the magnificence of the English camp at the Field of Cloth of Gold.

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Henry's central position has been noted, but what are we to make of Wolsey's?  He appears neither behind nor in front of the King, but beside him.  With Wolsey's importance to the event, temporary palace at Guines, and diplomacy also having already been elaborated upon, there are a couple of ways Wolsey's position may be interpreted.  Does this allude to him being "alter rex" or, more likely, indicate the close proximity and trust of the King that he secured (the relationship we looked at last week in those letters)?

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Henry's central position has been noted, but what are we to make of Wolsey's?  He appears neither behind nor in front of the King, but beside him.  With Wolsey's importance to the event, temporary palace at Guines, and diplomacy also having already been elaborated upon, there are a couple of ways Wolsey's position may be interpreted.  Does this allude to him being "alter rex" or, more likely, indicate the close proximity and trust of the King that he secured (the relationship we looked at last week in those letters)?

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-Sam

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I thought it was particularly interesting that for an event based on the idea of peace and equality (Down to the slightest detail of timing, the size of valleys etc) this painting is very clearly depicting the grandiose of Henry VIII & England - as the podcast mentioned below every action of peace throughout the event there was a sense of rivalry, something to be expected between two young kings with similar ideas of kingship and I think that rivalry and idea of showing off (with the cover of peace and equality) is illustrated by this painting. I also thought the temporary palace was extraordinary, the sheer effort to have gone into it, the embellishments of the tudor rose, the similarities between it and Wolseys other work and how it relates to the cardinals handbook is a metaphor for Wolsey's involvement and influence not just in England and Henry's service and favour but internationally - bringing his international position with this picture (and his mass at the end of the event) really illustrates Wolsey as the broker between 2 kings who were naturally enemies.It may be Henry riding on the horse wearing gold, it may be his tudor rose on the building but the event, the idea of peace and the palace exudes Wolsey.  

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I thought it was particularly interesting that for an event based on the idea of peace and equality (Down to the slightest detail of timing, the size of valleys etc) this painting is very clearly depicting the grandiose of Henry VIII & England - as the podcast mentioned below every action of peace throughout the event there was a sense of rivalry, something to be expected between two young kings with similar ideas of kingship and I think that rivalry and idea of showing off (with the cover of peace and equality) is illustrated by this painting. I also thought the temporary palace was extraordinary, the sheer effort to have gone into it, the embellishments of the tudor rose, the similarities between it and Wolseys other work and how it relates to the cardinals handbook is a metaphor for Wolsey's involvement and influence not just in England and Henry's service and favour but internationally - bringing his international position with this picture (and his mass at the end of the event) really illustrates Wolsey as the broker between 2 kings who were naturally enemies.It may be Henry riding on the horse wearing gold, it may be his tudor rose on the building but the event, the idea of peace and the palace exudes Wolsey.  

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What catches my attention, quite intentionally by the painter I assume, was Henry,  riding on a grey horse in amongst men clothed in dark red in his own gold and brighter red outfit. He deliberately stands out against both the road he rides on and his entourage surrounding him.  The next thing that caught my attention was the fountain, mostly due to the unexpectedness of its presence in what is essentially a fancy temporary camping ground. It's even more amazing once I learned it was filled with wine and not water. I think this fountain epitomises what this whole presentation stood for: power over practicality. There was no need for a fountain of wine by it was a show of strength and extravagantness. What also drew my attention was the other golden cloth in the painting. One being central between France and England's camps but the other being in England's. This painting is clearly showing the spectacular display provided by the English and how it contrasted to the French's accommodation. This can also be seen through the palace which architecturally resembles a traditional English palace from this era despite being made partly of canvas. - Catherine

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For this week's task, please comment on an aspect of the painting that struck you as particularly interesting!

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For this week's task, please comment on an aspect of the painting that struck you as particularly interesting!

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The main thing that catches my attention is Henry himself, dressed in the royal colours of gold, riding through the procession on his horse. I found it fascinating to learn that because of the rich gold, velvet and silver fabrics used in the clothing and the tents, this is where the event got its name! In Richardson's article and in the podcast, there is a lot of information about the materials used to build the temporary palace, which is shown towards the centre of the painting. It was made of both brick and timber, and I was amazed to learn that it was built specially for the event with over 1,000 workers stationed at Ardres to start the building work. Hall also describes the great hall in the palace as 'the sky of firmament' due to the constellation pattern designed by the King's astronomer and Hans Holbein. I also was staggered to learn the vast quantity of food and drink consumed in the banqueting tent to the right of the picture - the English brought 40,000 gallons of wine with them - hence the rather unwell looking people by the fountain! - Erin