Ralph Sheldon's Portrait of Henry VIII Reidentified

July 8 2024

Image of Ralph Sheldon's Portrait of Henry VIII Reidentified

Picture: Warwick Shire Hall via ArtUK

Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:

I published a short blog over the weekend regarding an accidental discovery I made of a missing Portrait of Henry VIII. Having spotted it in the background of a photograph posted on 'X' / Twitter, I managed to work out that this distinctive arched topped portrait (now hanging in Warwick Shire Hall, owned by Warwickshire County Council) was originally part of the famous set assembled by Ralph Sheldon (c.1537–1613) in the 1590s for Weston House in Warwickshire. Fortunately, the portrait is housed in the same carved medallion frame as other surviving examples from the set, and the very same composition of Henry holding a sword is found in a later engraving of the Long Gallery at Weston.

Update - Click here for relevant articles from the BBC, CNN, The Times and The Smithsonian Magazine.

Click here to watch a YouTube video of BBC Midlands Today's coverage of the story.

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