Monday, 1 March 2010

Part II - National Portrait Gallery Curator Talk



Attended Dr Tarnya Cooper's lunchtime talk at the Museum of London on Foreign Artists in London 1500-1620. Lots of good facts, sources, opinions and emphases (can you pluralise emphasis?).
In particular she reminded me that the NPG Henry VII portrait was made for Maximilian I as part of the proposal of marriage to his daughter Margaret of Savoy. Probably made in the Netherlands based on a drawing taken over here. This would neatly fit all three themes, and satisfy my general interest in portraiture of the late-medieval English monarchy. Shame we don;t know who painted it!! As Tarnya made clear it's a minefield adducing attributions in this period... not something I want to get embroiled in during a project of this level.

Still, it's a portrait I've always liked, and a painting I can go see absolutely anytime.

One last thing, kind of related - the portraits of English Kings in the Dulwich collection are a non-starter - as I thought, they were commissioned by Edward Alleyn in 1618-20, as opposed to being an acquired Renaissance collection. Ah well, if I do the Albertinelli Creation, then I can always study the Van Aelst they have at DPG for comparison purposes.

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