The National Portrait Gallery Book of The Tudors

• The second of Scala’s 4-fold titles published in association with the National Portrait Gallery
• Presents an unrivalled introduction to the Tudor monarchs

The National Portrait Gallery, London possesses such an important collection of Tudor portraits that a whole gallery is devoted to them. The 118 years of Tudor rule were one of the most exciting periods of English history, and these exquisite portraits offer an unrivalled introduction to the monarchs, diplomats, gentry and celebrated figures who helped to shape it. Written by the Gallery’s Learning Manager, Clare Gittings, this book includes such impressive works as the 1505 portrait of King Henry VII, the earliest portrait in the collection; Hans Holbein the Younger’s magnificent cartoon of Henry VII and Henry VIII; and the Gallery’s first ever acquisition, a striking portrait of William Shakespeare. The most popular and long-reigning Tudor monarch, Elizabeth I, is revealed in all her glory, with majestic works that mark her coronation, the war with Spain and her later years. Opening and closing with a painting of a Tudor family, one Catholic and the other Protestant, this book offers a wide-ranging and colourful view of the era. Presented in Scala’s popular 4-Fold format, featuring pages that fold out vertically and horizontally, it will engage and stimulate readers young and old. The National Portrait Gallery was founded in 1856 to collect the likenesses of famous British men and women. Today the collection is the most comprehensive of its kind in the world.

Clare Gittings is Education Officer at the National Portrait Gallery.