Renaissance Painters in Tudor England

The Horenbout Family

In the 16th century about 200 native artists and a few foreign artists practiced their craft in Tudor England (Cooper 6). Among them; the members of the Flemish Horenbout Family, who were one of the biggest contributors to the artistic activity in Tudor England (James 46). Their artistic history commenced with Gheraert Horenbout, who became internationally known for his diverse set of artistic skills towards the end of the 15th century (James 3). Susannah Horenbout, the daughter of Gheraert Horenbout, was born in 1503 (James 4) and known as one of the first female painters in England (Gray 140). After having been taught in the arts by his fathers workshop in Ghent (James 3) her work gained recognition from other artists such as Albrecht Dürer (James 5), leading up to the court position, in which she painted miniatures for the monarchs (James 4). Just like his sister Susannah Horenbout, Lucas Horenbout was artistically educated by his fathers workshop in Ghent and later on started his career as a court painter in 1522 (James 4). Additionally, Lucas was not only known for his paintings, but also for being the teacher of Hans Holbein (Foister 635).

Works Cited

Cooper, Tarnya. “Making Art in Tudor Britain: New Research on Paintings in the National Portrait Gallery.” The British Art Journal, vol. 9, no. 3, 2009, pp. 3–11. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41614834. Accessed 19 Jun. 2022.

Foister, Susan. “Tudor Miniaturists at the V. & A. London.” The Burlington Magazine, vol. 125, no. 967, 1983, pp. 635–622. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/881449. Accessed 19 Jun. 2022.

Gray, Sara. Dictionary of British Women Artists. Illustrated, Lutterworth Press, 2009, p.140.

Susan E. James. “The Horenbout family workshop at the Tudor court, 1522–1541: Collaboration, patronage and production“, Cogent Arts & Humanities, vol. 8, no.1, 2021, pp. 1-50.