The Golden Age of the English Court

Until Jan. 27 at the Kremlin Museum, m. Alexandrovsky Sad, kreml.ru
Open daily 10 am-5 pm, closed Thu.

Find out how much Henry VIII's suit of armor weighed, who got a locket filled with rubies from Elizabeth I, and other royal secrets at “The Golden Age of the English Court,” an exhibition that runs until Jan. 27 at the Kremlin. Organized together with the Victoria and Albert Museum, it features jewelry, weapons, clothing and other finery on loan from leading British collections.

The exhibition unveils the court life of the Tudor and Stuart dynasties, from the ascension of Henry VII in 1485 to the beheading of Charles I in 1649. Under Henry VIII, the crown embarked on a lavish program of patronizing the arts, with painters like Hans Holbein the Younger brought in to immortalize the ruler's glory. The exhibition displays a contemporary copy of Holbein's famed portrait of the latter Henry, as well as an original Holbein sketch.

Henry's daughter Elizabeth I took the cult of the monarch to even greater heights, using her image to cultivate loyalty among her subjects. Aristocrats hastened to secure their place in the queen's favor by wearing intricate cameos with Elizabeth's portrait. On her most favored subjects, such as explorer Sir Francis Drake, she bestowed original jewel-encrusted cameos herself.

© Courtesy of the Kremlin Museum

The dazzling Drake Jewel, which features a ruby-rimmed portrait of Elizabeth by Nicholas Hilliard, was awarded to Drake by the queen in 1586 after his voyage to the West Indies. Intriguingly, its other side shows the profile of an African emperor in front of a European profile, a metaphor for England and Africa's unity against Spain. The jewel reappears in a painting of Drake by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger.

The aristocratic culture of the age was nostalgic. As nobles dreamed of escaping court life for rural arcadia, hunting became a favorite pastime. A 1611 book advises on “The Noble Art of Venerie or Hunting,” while a nearby case displays lavishly embellished swords, daggers, rapiers and a 1580 wheel-lock pistol. Under Elizabeth's decree, the latter could only be owned by people “of noble birth” in whom “no unkind wishes were detected.” Meanwhile, the chivalric ideal of Arthur and the Round Table remained central. Henry VIII had a great fondness for jousting, as displayed by one of his sizeable suits of armor (see box).

Under Elizabeth, theater also assumed great popularity. Playwrights composed “masques” for the amusement of the court, which displayed the virtues of the monarch. “The Masque of Blackness,” on display at the Kremlin, was written by Ben Jonson in 1605 for Queen Anne, the wife of James I. Nearby is a 1623 first folio by William Shakespeare, who came into contact with the court theater troupes.

Aristocrats filled their palaces with items that reflected their status. Ornate tapestries depicting Greek myths and Bible stories, such as Esther Approaching Ahasuerus, were particularly trendy. Heraldic ornaments were also in fashion, such as the gilded oak carvings of a red bull and a black griffin owned by the powerful Dacre family.

Everyday items received equally regal treatment. At royal palaces such as Hampton Court, shining platters and tableware proclaimed the prosperity of the dynasty. (Though they weren't necessarily humorless, as shown by an amusing pair of ivory-handled table knives carved in the shapes of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.) Women's jackets and caps featured heavy embroidery, while a man's ruff took the shirt collar to dramatic new lengths.

Royal frippery would suddenly – and violently – go out of fashion when Charles I was executed by Parliament, ushering in a decade of republican government. A copy of a portrait of Charles by Antony Van Dyck shows the monarch's devotion to splendor in its highest form, as well his desire to bring England closer to the courts of continental Europe.

After completing its Kremlin run, “The Golden Age of the English Court” will go on show in London.

Henry's heavy metal

© Courtesy of the Kremlin Museum

Standing 185 centimeters tall and weighing in at 36.5 kilograms, a suit of armor worn by Henry VIII makes a corset look like a cinch. On loan with the permission of Queen Elizabeth II, the suit was made in 1539 for a jousting tournament in honor of his marriage to Anne of Cleves.

At age 47, Henry was no longer in fighting trim: his waistline was expanding rapidly, and painful ulcers were spreading across his legs. But new suits of armor such as this one helped keep the public from noticing. Its broad shoulders, narrow waist and “bear paw”-style shoes reflected the height of contemporary armored fashion.

Source: http://themoscownews.com/arts/20130111/191119093.html