Renaissance Intersections: The Arts of Italy and Early Tudor Visual Experience

Abstract

Although Italian artistic influence never supplanted England’s longstanding and ongoing artistic relations with France and the Netherlands, in the era of Henry VIII (ruled 1509–1547) it became a significant element within it, partly for political reasons. In recent years, research on this subject has been active, revealing many connections between visual developments in England and Italy in a wide range of contexts. This article explores recent work on these complex intersections from the beginnings of the Tudor period to the early 1540s. Four key themes are discussed: Italian influences mediated through France and the Netherlands; the impact of the circulation of images in the era of print technology; Italian artists who worked in England; and the role of merchants. Through this survey, the article explains how standard work has been challenged and redirected on areas such as classicism; the importance of particular materials, objects, motifs, and techniques; the status of Italian artists who worked in England; and the sophistication of their English patrons. The article ends by noting how recent work on Italian merchants as mediators of Italian art and artists in England is aligning this area with the broader recent interest in the economics of art.