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1 of 253523 objects
Flemish School, 16th century
The Battle of the Spurs c. 1513-47
Oil on canvas | 131.5 x 264.2 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 406784
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This horizontal format painting commemorates Henry VIII's early military triumph in France. On 16 August 1513 the French troops of Louis XII were defeated outside the town of Therouanne by a combined army of English and imperial troops. The Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I fought for, as opposed to alongside, the English King.
The speed with which the French cavalry retreated gave the event its name: The Battle of the Spurs. In this depiction Henry VIII is depicted on horseback at the centre of the melee. The French Chevalier Bayard kneels before him in surrender.
This painting, like RCIN 405800, may have been intended to be set into the walls of Whitehall Palace. This may account for its non-appearance in the 1542 and 1547 inventories.
Text adapted from J. Scott, The Royal Portrait: Image and Impact, London 2010.Provenance
Probably painted for Henry VIII; seen in 1613 at Whitehall by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar; recorded in the King's 1st Privy Gallery at Greenwich in 1639 (no 7); sold to Stone and others for £30 on 23 October 1651 from Greenwich (no 33); recovered at the Restoration and listed in the King's Privy Gallery at Whitehall in 1666 (no 142)
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Creator(s)
Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Oil on canvas
Measurements
131.5 x 264.2 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)
