Tudor Portraits What is a portrait Portraits are

Tudor Portraits

What is a portrait? • Portraits are drawings, paintings or photographs of a person’s face and expression. • In the Tudor period portraits were very popular amongst the noble (wealthy) families. • Having your portrait painted was a sign of nobility and wealth.

Let’s look at some portraits of the Tudor Monarchs. • What do you notice about them? What types of colours are used? • What are the expressions like on the faces? Why do you think they are like this? • What are their clothes like? Do you think all Tudors dressed like this?

Henry VII

Henry VIII

Edward VI

Mary I

Elizabeth I

What did you think? • What do you notice about them? What types of colours are used? • Quite dark and rich colours. • What are the expressions like on the faces? Why do you think they are like this? • They are quite serious. The paintings would have taken a long time to do. If you were sitting for an artist for days at a time, you would not be able to smile! • What are their clothes like? Do you think all Tudors dressed like this? • They are all wearing expensive clothes and jewels. Only the wealthy could afford to have their paintings done. No – poor Tudors would not have such clothes.

Task 1 • Look at the Tudor Portraits document on today’s home learning. • Complete the tasks on there based on the Portrait of King Henry VIII. • You could either print it off, or answer the questions in your Home Learning books.

Task 2 • Over the next few weeks, we are going to be creating our own Tudor • • Portraits…of ourselves! We will be painting and using come collage as well – if we have these materials at home. For today, we would like you to have a go at drawing a self portrait with no guidance from us. Take a photo of yourself on a phone or tablet and have it in front of you. Use a piece of A 4 paper and spend about half an hour drawing. Please send us a photo of your work.