In 1492 Christopher Columbus (1451 – 1506) sailed under the Spanish flag and discovered a whole new land. Six years later the Portuguese explorer, Vasco de Gama (1460 – 1524) reached India’s Malabar coast, which had been a centre of trade between Arab and far eastern merchants for at least fifteen hundred years. Columbus’s voyage west… Continue reading Monkey business at 16th century royal courts
A recent article in various publications (including The Smithsonian magazine), looked at Franny Moyle’s suggestion that Holbein left clues regarding the identification of one of his sitters of his miniatures being of Henry VIII’s fourth wife, Anna, Duchess of Cleves. It is not the first time this possibility has been discussed. Heather Darsie describes how Anna adopted the… Continue reading How we know the Tudor Royals from 1485 – 1558; and who painted them.
Anna, Duchess of Cleves. Hans Holbein the Younger (1497 - 1543) (?). Rosenbach Museum, Philadelphia, USA. Accession Number 1954.1923. When Heather Darsie’s new consideration of Anna’s life and marriage was published in April 2019, the cover portrait (above) presented us with a completely different aspect of the duchess from the Holbein portrait that now hangs… Continue reading A Portrait of Anna, Duchess of Cleves : The King’s Beloved Sister
I am delighted to report that the Harlaxton website for this year's meeting is now up and running. https://harlaxton.org.uk/zoomposium2021/ This year's theme is travel. Unlike previous years when we have met in person at Harlaxton Manor, this year, due to Covid, the annual meeting will take the form of a Zoomposium, thus enabling so many… Continue reading Harlaxton Zoomposium : 26th – 30 July 2021
A Review. If you enjoyed the TV series Versailles, then I suggest you read Josephine Wilkinson’s biography of Louis XIV: The Real King of Versailles, published in 2019. Sketch of Louis XIV c1655. Charles le Brun (1619 - 1690). In anticipation of Dr Wilkinson’s forthcoming book, The Man in the Iron Mask (US. Pegasus, 6th July… Continue reading Louis XIV: The Real King of Versailles. Josephine Wilkinson
Melanie V Taylor 