A room for the dynasty that invented the propaganda portrait
Room 1 brings together the Tudor monarchs and their circle, from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I, at a time when the royal portrait was never a simple likeness: every detail — posture, objects, Latin inscriptions — was calculated to carry a precise political message to anyone who knew how to read it.
1. The Ditchley portrait: forgiveness painted at grand scale
The so-called "Ditchley" portrait of Elizabeth I, painted around 1592 by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, shows the queen standing on a map of England, her feet planted precisely on Oxfordshire. The sky behind her is split in two: a dark storm on the left, a bright clearing on the right, exactly in line with her face. The painting was probably commissioned by the courtier Sir Henry Lee to commemorate a celebration held in the queen's honour in September 1592, intended to secure her forgiveness after he had taken a mistress without her approval.
Three Latin mottoes painted on the canvas sum up the message: she gives and does not expect in return, she can take revenge but does not, in forgiving she grows still greater. The queen herself becomes the allegory of royal forgiveness here — a use of the image far more sophisticated than a simple court portrait.
2. Cromwell painted after Holbein: power without a smile
The portrait of Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII's most powerful minister before his fall and execution in 1540, derives from an original by Hans Holbein the Younger painted around 1532-1533 — the version held at the National Portrait Gallery is an early copy, made at the very start of the seventeenth century after that prototype. Cromwell appears in three-quarter view, dressed in black, his face closed and his hands occupied with state papers: the image of a man whose authority comes from administration rather than birth.
Hung in the same room as the flamboyant queen of the Ditchley portrait, this portrait shows the other side of Tudor power: the quieter, equally ruthless side of the men who kept the state running behind the throne.
How much time
Look for the three Latin mottoes on the Ditchley portrait before moving on to the rest of the room — they are the key to reading the whole painting.
- The Ditchley portrait of Elizabeth I — 10 minutes.
- Thomas Cromwell (after Holbein) — 5 minutes.
- The rest of the room — 10 minutes.
Sources and verification
Checked against the official notices of the National Portrait Gallery (npg.org.uk) and cross-checked with Wikipedia EN/FR.
- National Portrait Gallery — Queen Elizabeth I ('The Ditchley portrait')
- World History Encyclopedia — Elizabeth I Ditchley Portrait
- The Met — Queen Elizabeth I ('The Ditchley Portrait')
- National Portrait Gallery — Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex, NPG 1727
Displays and room openings can change. Check the National Portrait Gallery website on the day of your visit before following a route.
Listen to the commentary in the gallery
This route gives you a thread to follow. In front of an artwork, CulturAll adds the audio commentary: photograph the work or its label, listen, then ask your questions.
