Once used to attract a spouse or consolidate power, the evolution of royal portraiture reflects the changing face of the monarchy
Long before the Kardashians perfected the art of the image for their own financial benefit, another family introduced the very concept for propaganda and PR purposes.
The Tudors, the most famous of all of England’s monarchs, were one of the first to realise the power of the image, and used their portraits to advance their political power across Europe in the 16th century. Henry VIII, who is infamous for having married six times and executing two of his betrothed, was instrumental in reshaping the political purpose of the portrait. They were used to arrange advantageous marriages, impress foreign monarchs and dignitaries and evoke his own God-given right to rule.
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