The Influence of Late Gothic Jewellery and Goldsmithing of the Court of the Catholic Monarchs in Tudor England

Abstract

The alliance between Castile, Aragon and England after the rise of the Tudor dynasty to the throne of England meant the arrival to the English court of a sumptuous matrimonial dowry for the infanta Catherine of Aragon, who was married to both of Henry VII’s heirs, Arthur and Henry. In contrast to his father’s reign, in various inventories in Henry VIII’s time there are abundant references to jewels and goldsmith pieces with decorations of sheaths of arrows, castles and pomegranates or pieces that are referred to as Spanish work or of Spanish style. The aim of this paper is to show how goldsmithing in the reign of the Catholic Monarchs had an impact on the Tudor artistic development and how the objects in the dowry of the infanta Catherine appear not only in royal inventories but were spread throughout the court. Possible connections between Queen Catherine and her role as an artistic patron in the Tudor court will also be pointed out.