THE CONCEPT OF ‘ART’ IN HENRICIAN ENGLAND.

ART; ART appreciation; BRITISH civilization; TUDOR Period, Great Britain, 1485-1603; HENRY VIII, King of England, 1491-1547; HOLBEIN, Hans, 1497-1543; SIXTEENTH century; PICTURES; COURTS & courtiers

UNITED KingdomReport Available; ENGLANDReport Available

This article suggests revisions to the scholarly orthodoxies concerning the status of art in Early Modern England, particularly during the reign of Henry VIII. In the absence of the theoretical discussions of art that existed elsewhere in Europe, one must explore other methodological possibilities. What emerges is a more sophisticated appreciation of art than has been realized. Of particular value as evidence are the royal inventories, which reveal not only the types of art collected, but also the manner of its display. The approaches adopted here, it is argued, have wider applications beyond the study of Tudor England. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]