Catherine of Aragon

William Bromley

Summary

An interior scene painted in great detail and filled with tension, showing Catherine of Aragon seated alongside a table, surrounded by her ladies in waiting, in conference with two male figures in ecclesiastical robes. The male figures stood together and to the left of the composition are Cardinal Wolsey, the Lord Chancellor, who is positioned slightly further back into the picture with his left hand raised, and the Papal Legate (representative of the Pope), Cardinal Campeggio (or Campeius), who is bowed forward with his hand to his chest; both wear dramatic red robes. The Queen is seated to the right of the composition, seen in profile to the left, leaning slightly forward with her right hand raised; she is depicted in a black, square-necked gown with ermine sleeves and trim. Stood behind her, with a hand on the back of the Queen's chair and her head bowed down towards her is one of the ladies-in-waiting; another is seated across the table facing away from the viewer, dressed in green and playing a lute. Three other female figures occupy the shadowy background: one is stood before a large piece of furniture to the right; a second is seated at an embroidery frame in the centre of the composition as the third leans down towards her, their heads almost touching. To the left of the composition is a third male figure, standing at the entranceway to the room, holding aside the heavy curtains covering it. In the background is a large figurative and landscape painting in a heavy frame occupying the entire wall. The nautilus shell cup with sliver gilt mounts on the table is an identifiable object from the Royal Collection, probably copied from an engraving: it was made by Nikolaus Schmidt, Nuremberg, in the late sixteenth century.

Display Label

Katherine of Aragon and the Cardinals 1866 William Bromley 1835 - 1888 Oil on canvas Katherine of Aragon was Henry V111's first wife. Here we see the English and Papal Cardinals threatening her with the disgrace of a public trial if she will not consent to a divorce. Katherine was a staunch Catholic and would not agree. In order for Henry to get his way and remarry, the Protestant Church of England was established, causing centuries of religious turbulence. The source of the scene is literary rather than historical, taken from Shakespeare's play, Henry V111. A growing acceptance of Catholicism in England made the issue of choice in religious faith highly relevant to the Victorian audience. Mrs H L Maw Bequest 1910.18