THE ART OF DIPLOMACY

This sumptuous work of art – known as The Field of Cloth of Gold , and housed at Hampton Court Palace – is the most famous depiction of the famous summit between Henry VIII and Francis I. It dates to the 1540s and was probably one of a number of such artworks celebrating great moments in Henry’s reign. As only the most cursory of glances at the painting will reveal, it is a composite evocation of the event, not an accurate record!

The foreground is dominated by . He is apparently arriving at Guînes Castle for the main event but the order of the procession accords with descriptions of his first meeting with Francis on 7 June before the tournament got under way. Henry appears three times in the painting: ; (top right); and in the central upper ground. The image of the English king (in the foreground) owes much to the famous German painter Hans Holbein the Younger, and the head of Henry first committed to canvas has at