Portrait of the artists

TRACY BORMAN is enraptured by a beautifully written and richly illustrated exploration of early modern English art

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When you hear the words ‘Tudor art’, chances are that an image of a Holbein portrait springs to mind. However, as this illuminating new book shows, the German-born painter was only one of a dazzling cast of characters involved in creating the art of the Tudor period. As well as offering a fresh perspective on celebrated portraits of monarchs and their courtiers, Christina J Faraday’s compelling and beautifully constructed narrative pulls out of the shadows an eclectic array of art and artefacts: charters, clocks, cushions, clothes, coins, statues, furniture, jewels, manuscripts, miniatures, scrolls and tapestries.