Left: Walker Art Gallery's Henry VIII before treatment | Right: Walker Art Gallery's Henry VIII after treatment

Key findings

The tree-ring analysis for the Baltic oak panels that Walker Art Gallery’s Henry VIII was painted on revealed that it was felled after 1530. It is possible, although not certain, that the painting could have been created in Henry’s lifetime - he died in 1547.

However, it is important to understand that an accurate date for the earliest calculated felling of a tree can only be established when the samples are complete with sapwood or bark-edge. Where none exists, as is often the case for a painting, only the date after which the tree must have been felled can be determined. The date of the felling must not be confused with the date of the use of the timber - it may have been in storage for some time, or transportation of the wood may have taken some months.

The date for the Petworth portrait was also early, after 1525, while both the Trinity and Chatsworth portraits had later felling dates - after 1554 and after 1557.

One of the most interesting finds was made during paint analysis of the red gown in Walker Art Gallery's portrait. It became clear early in the examination that this area was extremely thickly painted and rather opaque with crude brushwork. The suspicion was that it had been completely repainted.

Surface examination through the microscope revealed a lower layer of red thought to be the original colour of the gown. This appeared to be lying on top of a reflective layer with a silvery appearance, possibly metal. A cross section of the paint layers was taken, and further analysis confirmed it as silver. It is thought that this silver layer underneath the paint was used on the crimson sleeves of the gown to make the paint shimmer and add to its lustrous appearance.

Cross-section showing the red of the gown from Walker Art Gallery's Henry VIII. The brighter, upper layer of red is the overpaint on top of the much deeper original red

The combination of silver leaf and red paint is used in a number of other 16th century portraits, including the gown of the Petworth Henry VIII and the red gown in the National Portrait Gallery’s unsigned ‘Edward VI’. Interestingly, Holbein himself used this technique in the portrait of Edward, Prince of Wales in the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.

The paint analysis of Walker Art Gallery’s Henry VIII informed the cleaning and conservation of the painting, which has been treated and restored to reflect its former glory.

More indepth information about conservation practices and research into the Henry VIII portraits can be found in conservator David Crombie’s essay in the catalogue, ‘Henry VIII Revealed: Holbein’s Portrait and his Legacy’. The catalogue also includes a detailed essay on the Holbein image and its influence by curator Xanthe Brooke. It can be purchased by contacting Walker Art Gallery’s information desk.

Back to the top