What is the value of art to the study of history?

Henry VII was the son of Edmund Tudor and head of the house of Lancaster. He defeated and killed the Yorkist King Richard III at the battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, establishing the Tudor monarchy. The inscription records that the portrait was painted on 29 October 1505 by order of Herman Rinck, an agent for the Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian I. The portrait was painted as part of an unsuccessful marriage proposal by Henry to Margaret of Savoy, whom he hoped to marry as his second wife.  Portraits were important in marriage negotiations as the participants of political marriages designed to secure international alliances seldom met each other before their wedding day.  However, portraits could be misleading, as was the case of the unfortunate union of Anne of Cleves and King Henry VIII.

The pink Rose Henry is holding is the symbol of House Tudor and also the symbol of love as he is attempting to woo Margret into marriage.  He furthers his allure by expressing his wealth: the gold chain with the sheep on it is the symbol of the order of the Golden Fleece, a chain presented to King henry by the Holy Roman Emperor.  Not only does this show his wealth, but depicts him as a European monarch rather than an English King.  The rich fabric of his gown and the fur also flaunts his wealth. 

Studying art from the past is an important aspect of historiography often neglected by contemporary education.  It holds many clues to life in the past.  By examining a work of art’s symbolism, colours, its materials, we can learn vast quantities about the culture that produced it.  For example, the seemingly neutral portrait of Henry VII shed much light on how the English monarchs chose to portray themselves to possible suitors – as Europeans and not as the separate entity that Britain later became.