On Display: Henrietta Maria and the Materials of Magnificence at the Stuart Court

by Erin Griffey

In the early modern period, rulers demonstrated their power and influence through carefully curated “display”—their presence in court ceremonies, their palaces and their contents, and their portraits.  Henrietta Maria of France (1609–1669), queen consort of King Charles I of England, embraced these opportunities for display with particular flair. This richly illustrated book follows Henrietta Maria through and beyond the Bourbon and Stuart courts to chart her patronage and engagement with the visual arts, building works, and the luxury trade. It develops a powerful picture not just of the images, fashions, interiors, and buildings shaped by the queen’s directorial influence but also of the political and religious factors that governed her choices and policies of court display. Her cultural patronage in particular emphasized her family honor, dynastic clout, Catholic piety, feminine virtue, and discerning taste. Erin Griffey analyzes the full spectacle of the queen’s represented image, not only through the well-known portraits by Sir Anthony van Dyck but also through her rich bed ensembles, tapestries, jewelry, clothing, and devotional goods—the objects that embodied and conveyed her royal power.

Genres: History

384 pages, Hardcover

First published November 10, 2015

About the author

Erin Griffey is senior lecturer in art history at the University of Auckland.

Reviews

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A richly illustrated history of Queen Henrietta Maria's portraits, possessions and cultural patronage, which analyzes the political, religious and personal significance of the material culture that surrounded the queen. While the majority of books about Henrietta Maria focus on her marriage to King Charles I, Griffey also devotes multiple chapters to the queen's residences in England and France during the reign of her son Charles II and her efforts to regain possessions lost during the English Civil Wars and interregnum. Highly recommended to anyone interested in the Stuart court and the art and culture of the mid seventeenth century.