A Monumental-Scale Crimson Velvet Cloth of Gold in The Met: Historical, Technical, and Materials Analysis

Abstract

described the temporary palace of Henry VIII erected at the massive, northern French site of the diplomatic meeting between the English king and Francis I in June 1520. Memorably coined by contemporaries as the “Field of the Cloth of Gold” in recognition of the copious amounts of velvet fabrics on view in both royal enclosures, this moniker is just one reminder of the preeminent role of expensive, sumptuous textiles as conspicuous, competitive signifiers of royal pomp and splendor in Renaissance Europe. The exhibition “The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England,” organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2022–23), explores the interplay A MonumentalScale Crimson Velvet Cloth of Gold in The Met: Historical, Technical, and Materials Analysis