Ruling successively from 1485 through 1603, the five Tudor monarchs brought changes to England that reverberated throughout Europe. This book provides a rare, comprehensive look at how Tudor artistic patronage legitimized and glorified the family’s tumultuous rule-from Henry VII’s seizure of the throne that ended the Wars of the Roses, through Henry VIII’s epoch-making breach with the Roman Catholic Church, to the influential reign of the virgin queen, Elizabeth I.

Showcasing the latest scholarship and sumptuous new photography of royal commissions, The Tudors explores the extreme politics and outsize personalities of the Tudors and the visual arts’ pivotal role in the dynasty’s diplomatic relations at home and abroad. The book brings to life the extravagant and politically precarious world of the Tudors through artworks by English artists-including Nicholas Hilliard and Isaac Oliver-as well as artists from across Europe-such as Hans Holbein, Nicholas Bellin, and Pietro Torrigiano-in media ranging from paintings, tapestries, arms and armor, and furnishings, to porcelain, metalwork, coins, stained glass, and works on paper.