Assignment: Portraits
Name:
Portraits and paintings have played a central role in shaping the image of Monarchy. They have
helped legitimize claims to the throne, reinforced dynastic family lines, cemented political
alliances, accompanied proposals of marriage, and even offered a glimpse into the private life of
royal families.
Today we have Paint Shop in which we can add, delete or change any image we want. In the
past that was the work of a painter.
Often paintings were highly idealized and symbolic representation of the ruler and family. And
meeting the demands of an absolute monarch was difficult.
For example, look at the painting above. This is Henry VIII and his family.
1. Jane Seymour, his third wife and the woman shown seated to the right had been dead for
nearly a decade when this was painted.
2. Henry VIII is shown a being fairly plump, but still muscular and stately. In reality, when
this was painted he was massively obese at almost 5’ around at the waist and could only
stand with the help of several men.
3. Everyone, including his two daughters, Mary I, shown on the left and Elizabeth I, and his
son Edward I seem like they’re in the room together. In fact none of them were in that
room. The artist painted each of them separately and made up the background to meet
Henry’s VIII desire to acknowledge his daughters, while clearly showing that his much
younger son was his true heir.
Go to the website: Portrait Detectives
http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/kids/games-quizzes/portraits/index.html
Answer the following questions with at least 3 examples from the site:
 What were some of the tricks used to show that someone was Royal, wealthy or
important?
 What were some of the tricks used to make someone look better?
 What are some items or elements common to Royal portraits?
 What are some clues that an artist can use to tell a story in a painting?
Now do some research on the portraits of Charles II, the last Hapsburg of Spain and answer the
following questions:
 How is he portrayed most of the time?
 What was the reality?
 Why do you think the painters ‘lied’?