Foreign influences on and innovation in English tomb sculpture in the first half of the sixteenth century

This study is an investigation of stylistic and iconographic \ninnovation in English tomb sculpture from the accession of King \nHenry VIII through the first half of the sixteenth century, a \nperiod during which Tudor society and Tudor art were in \ntransition as a result of greater interaction with continental \nEurope. The form of the tomb was moulded by contemporary \ncultural, temporal and spiritual innovations, as well as by the \nforce of artistic personalities and the directives of patrons. \nConversely, tomb sculpture is an inherently conservative art, and \nold traditions and practices were resistant to innovation. The \nearly chapters examine different means of change as illustrated \nby a particular group of tombs. The most direct innovations were \nintroduced by the royal tombs by Pietro Torrigiano in Westminster \nAbbey. The function of Italian merchants in England as \nintermediaries between Italian artists and English patrons is \nconsidered. Italian artists also introduced terracotta to \nEngland. A group of terracotta tombs in East Anglia, previously \nattributed by tradition to Italian artists, is re-examined. A \nless direct initiation of iconographic and stylistic innovation \noccurred through English artists' use of foreign patterns. The \nsynthesis of such two-dimensional imagery by English sculptors is \nexamined in certain tombs in Hampshire and Sussex. The influence \nof the Florentine royal tombs on English tomb sculpture in the \nlatter half of the period is illustrated by alabaster tombs from \nan English workshop and by three other important tombs. The \nabandoned Italian project for the tomb of Henry VIII is studied \nin the context of the religious, political and economic changes \nthat contributed to the breakdown of a supportive environment for \nItalian artists in England. Finally, the relevance of religious \nInjunctions and iconoclasm to the evolution of English tomb \nsculpture by the middle of the century is considered.