Shilliam, Nicola J. (1986) Foreign influences on and innovation in English tomb sculpture in the first half of the sixteenth century. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This study is an investigation of stylistic and iconographic
innovation in English tomb sculpture from the accession of King
Henry VIII through the first half of the sixteenth century, a
period during which Tudor society and Tudor art were in
transition as a result of greater interaction with continental
Europe. The form of the tomb was moulded by contemporary
cultural, temporal and spiritual innovations, as well as by the
force of artistic personalities and the directives of patrons.
Conversely, tomb sculpture is an inherently conservative art, and
old traditions and practices were resistant to innovation. The
early chapters examine different means of change as illustrated
by a particular group of tombs. The most direct innovations were
introduced by the royal tombs by Pietro Torrigiano in Westminster
Abbey. The function of Italian merchants in England as
intermediaries between Italian artists and English patrons is
considered. Italian artists also introduced terracotta to
England. A group of terracotta tombs in East Anglia, previously
attributed by tradition to Italian artists, is re-examined. A
less direct initiation of iconographic and stylistic innovation
occurred through English artists' use of foreign patterns. The
synthesis of such two-dimensional imagery by English sculptors is
examined in certain tombs in Hampshire and Sussex. The influence
of the Florentine royal tombs on English tomb sculpture in the
latter half of the period is illustrated by alabaster tombs from
an English workshop and by three other important tombs. The
abandoned Italian project for the tomb of Henry VIII is studied
in the context of the religious, political and economic changes
that contributed to the breakdown of a supportive environment for
Italian artists in England. Finally, the relevance of religious
Injunctions and iconoclasm to the evolution of English tomb
sculpture by the middle of the century is considered.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	N Fine Arts > NB Sculpture
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Sepulchral monuments -- England -- History -- 16th century, Sepulchral monuments -- England -- Foreign influences
Official Date:	September 1986
Dates:	Date Event September 1986 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of History of Art
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Gardner, Julian
Sponsors:	Courtauld Institute of Art ; Ruskin Society of London ; Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Extent:	266 leaves
Language:	eng

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