The Queen’s influence: Henrietta Maria and art at the Stuart court

Charles I’s French-born consort was assertive, sophisticated and fashionable, and she played an active role in the court masque, the luxury trade and the visual arts. While her influence on art at the Stuart court has traditionally been downplayed, she was more than just a portrait subject; she was also a patron and a director of display in her palaces.

In this talk, Erin Griffey will provide an overview of Henrietta Maria’s patronage, taste and networks. As a Catholic whose godfather was Pope Urban VIII, she had a strong affinity for religious pictures and was central to diplomatic gifts and commissions involving the papacy. She embraced the potential of artworks to commemorate her family, aid her devotions and showcase her refined taste.

This event will be BSL interpreted.

Dr Erin Griffey is Associate Professor at the University of Auckland in New Zealand and a specialist in early modern court culture, especially patronage, material culture and portraiture at the Stuart court. She is author of On Display: Henrietta Maria and the Materials of Magnificence at the Stuart Court (Yale University Press, 2015) and regularly gives talks on Henrietta Maria’s life, patronage and palaces, including at Hampton Court, the Queen’s House in Greenwich, Oxford, and the Rubenianum in Antwerp.