Missing portrait of Henry VIII re-discovered in Warwick

The painting, which is in Warwickshire County Council’s Old Shire Hall in Northgate Street, was spotted by art historian Dr Adam Busiakiewicz, who has re-identified the painting as a lost work which was once part of a famous set of twenty-two portraits commissioned in the 1590s by Ralph Sheldon (c.1537-1613).

His portrait collection was originally hung at Weston House, the tapestry maker Ralph Sheldon’s Warwickshire home, and only a handful of paintings from the group survive.

Dr Busiakiewicz said scholars had always considered Sheldon’s portrait of Henry VIII to be missing.

The rediscovery was made when Dr Busiakiewicz spotted the painting in a photograph on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), hanging in the corner of a room of Warwick’s Old Shire Hall.

It bears a distinctive arched top, which is a special feature of the Sheldon set, and happened to be housed in a frame which is identical to other surviving examples.

The portrait of King Henry, holding a sword and wearing a feathered hat, also featured in an engraving of the Long Gallery at Weston Hall made in a later engraving by the antiquarian Henry Shaw.

Sheldon’s famous set of paintings were later dispersed at auction and the majority remain untraced to this day.

Research is ongoing to establish the later provenance of the portrait.

Although Warwickshire County Council had only acquired the work as recently as 1951, Henry VIII’s connections to the town run far deeper.

Recent research undertaken by Warwick Historian Aaron Manning has uncovered details of a previously unknown state visit by Henry VIII to Warwick during the first week of September 1511.

Letters preserved in the National Archives were written by the King during a short stay at Warwick Castle; letters studied by Tudor experts for centuries, though the address was deemed unimportant.

New transcriptions of the Tudor Chamber Books online have cast more light of Henry’s forgotten visit, such as the names of his companions, the offerings he made at St Mary’s Church, and details of his activities while in the region.

Dr Adam Busiakiewicz said: “This portrait of Henry VIII is a remarkable Tudor painting of one of England’s most recognisable Kings.

"Ever since the current owners of Warwick Castle sold a fabulous portrait of Henry VIII from the castle in 2015 Warwick has needed an important image of this King to stand in its place.

"This striking portrait, commissioned by Ralph Sheldon over four-hundred years ago and now in the collection of Warwick Shire Hall, could well be that painting.

Aaron Manning, historian and interpretation manager for the Historic Royal Palaces, said: “He might be the most recognisable English king, but there are only so many portraits of Henry VIII that were painted in Tudor period.

"Its wonderful that a lost portrait from the 1500s, especially one commissioned for and displayed in a Warwickshire home, has been rediscovered; a really important addition to the town’s already rich history.”

Speaking about the rediscovery of the painting, a spokesperson from Warwickshire County Council said: “We were approached by Art Historian Adam Busiakiewicz and colleague Aaron Manning regarding a painting at Old Shire Hall, part of the Warwickshire County Council collection.

"Adam suspected the portrait of Henry VIII was one originally commissioned by Ralph Sheldon in the 16th century (we have Ralph's portrait at Market Hall Museum).

“Adam and Aaron viewed the painting at Shire Hall, and have confirmed they think it is definitely one of the Ralph Sheldon commissions.

“Since this discovery, the painting has been moved into our Museum Collections Centre to allow further research to take place.”

For more information go to: https://adamfineart.wordpress.com/2024/07/04/ralph-sheldons-portrait-of-henry-viii-reidentified/