Henry VIII and Art: Issues of Communication, Appreciation and Gender

这是一个开创性的研究方式，其中一个发达的概念“艺术”在现代意义上的术语可以首先确定在统治时期的亨利八世（1509-47）。这也是对英国历史上最重要的变革时期之一的艺术在公共生活中的地位的新审视，因为亨利八世与罗马教会决裂，并开创了皇家与英国教会的关系，这种关系一直延续到今天。人们早就认识到肖像画、版画、眼镜、挂毯、建筑物和其他艺术形式对亨利时代英格兰的皇家辉煌和丰富的视觉文化做出了贡献，但这个项目在评估亨利八世和他的政治顾问利用艺术向广大观众传达关于国王及其权力的精确和详细信息的程度方面走得更远。此外，该项目还确定，正是在这一关键的变革时期，人们开始将艺术作品视为审美对象，而不是奉献或展示地位的辅助工具-因此，艺术不仅是那些促进变革的工具，它本身也在人们认为它是什么以及它是为了什么方面发生了重大变化。

This is a ground-breaking study of the ways in which a developed conception of 'art' in the modern sense of the term can first be identified in the reign of Henry VIII (1509-47). It is also a new examination of the place of art in public life during one of the most momentous periods of change in English history, as Henry VIII broke from the Church of Rome and inaugurated the royal relationship with the Church of England which survives to this day. It has long been recognized that portraits, prints, spectacles, tapestries, buildings and other artistic forms contributed to the royal magnificence and rich visual culture of Henrician England, but this project goes much further in assessing the extent to which Henry VIII and his political advisers exploited art to communicate precise and detailed messages about the king and his power to a broad spectrum of viewers. In addition, this project also establishes that it was during this same critical period of change that people began to think about works of art as aesthetic objects rather than as aids to devotion or displays of status - so not only was art a tool for those promoting change, it itself underwent significant changes in terms of what people thought it was and what it was for.