Stephanie G. Mathis Workers at Cambridge University’s Christ’s College are restoring an old loft and have discovered rare wall paintings from the early 16th Century. These haven’t been seen for nearly three centuries.
Louise Hulland, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, says, “It was an absolute surprise.” Christina Faraday is a Cambridge art historian who specializes in Tudor visual and cultural culture. The wall behind the paintings was discovered by the builders of Christ’s College, who are renovating the oldest range – the oldest part in the front court – which dates back to the early 16th Century.
The medieval paintings have three crown motifs that are connected to the Tudor Dynasty: a Lancastrian red rose, portcullis (a heavy medieval door), and what looks like a Fleur-de-lis. The last records about the art of the college date back to 1738.
The designs, which are 6 meters wide (about 20 feet), are painted onto plaster and partly covered by a wooden beam. The loft is located on what was possibly the northwest wall of the original library.
Faraday, in a declaration by Christ’s College, says that wall paintings were cheap and disposable and were, therefore, rarely preserved. Now, we can appreciate their historical value and what they reveal beyond the traditional portraits of Tudor art.
Each of the images is associated with a Tudor monarch. The portcullis was, for instance, the badge of the Beaufort Family, which included Henry VIII, who reigned as England’s first Tudor king from 1485-1509. His mother, Lord Margaret Beaufort, refounded Christ’s College in 1505.
“[The paintings] demonstrate] an extremely early example of what we think of today as a modern phenomena, which is branding and marketing,” Faraday told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. “Henry VII was a weak claimant to the throne. He didn’t have a right to be in that position. And he used symbols to promote and validate his reign.”
Faraday believes Henry VII created the Lancastrian Rose after his victory over the Wars of the Roses. This was a series of wars between the rival houses of Lancaster and York during the 15th Century for control of the English crown. Henry VII may have used the Lancastrian Rose to represent the Yorkist symbol, the white rose. As the rose of Tudor was a symbol for Henry VII’s 1486 marriage to Elizabeth de York, the image continued to be important in the family brand.
The college writes that the fleur-delis has “represented English kings from the time of Edward 3 when they also claimed being kings in France.”
The Tudor brand is a success. These motifs are still associated with Christ’s College today.
“At Christ’s, we value all evidence of our founder,” says
Due to their location on the roof, these paintings cannot be displayed. A specialist will advise the college about how best to maintain and preserve them.
