Titre : | Equine Imagery and the Field of the Cloth of Gold : 7 - 24 June 1520 |
fait partie de : | |
Auteurs : | Peter Edwards, Auteur |
Type de document : | document vidéo |
Année de publication : | 2018 |
Format : | 23 min. |
Langues: | Anglais |
Mots-clés : |
Equivoc Angleterre ; Époque Moderne (XVIe-XVIIIe) ; France ; Peinture ; Politique ; Symbolisme |
Résumé : |
When Henry VIII met François Ie of France on the Field of the Cloth of Gold in June 1520 they sought to impress each other and strengthen their bargaining position in the diplomatic negotiations by emphasizing their wealth and power by ostentatious display. Henry VIII even erected a prefabricated palace for the occasion, employing 6,000 men to set it up near his castle of Guisnes. The arrival of Henry VIII on the Field of the Cloth of Gold on 7 June 1520 is illustrated in a painting of the English School, hung at Hampton Court, and reveals the importance of the projection of the trappings of wealth and power to both monarchs. Horses loomed large. Good horsemanship defined a gentleman and the ability to control a powerful animal validated the political ascendancy of the landed élite. An analysis of the importance of equine iconography to the event as depicted in the painting is the theme of this talk.
Among the themes depicted, the sheer size of Henry VIII’s entourage, many of them mounted on fine horses, stands out. And not merely ordinary nags but imposing stallions with foreign blood in their veins: Henry’s agents had scoured the studs of famous breeders such as the Marquis of Mantua. Even so, François’s horses proved superior. Indeed, he used horses to make a symbolic gesture by donating particularly fine specimens to Henry. As the meeting not only comprised two sovereign states going head-to–head but also two Renaissance princes vying to display their Renaissance credentials, the outcome of the jousts, fought in the tiltyard at the top right of the picture, was highly significant. To Henry’s chagrin, François proved the better competitor. If the meeting proved inconclusive, in a real sense François’s superiority in all matters equestrian revealed the winner. |
En ligne : | oui |
En ligne : | https://vimeo.com/275635452 |