Painting for a Living in Tudor and Early Stuart England

This book explores the political, social, and economic contexts in which painters in Tudor and Early Stuart England lived and worked, shedding light on their daily concerns, practices, and activities. It draws on a biographical database of nearly 3000 painters and craftsmen to offer an account of what it meant to paint for a living in early modern England, considering their origins, geographical location, expertise, and workshop personnel and spatial arrangements. The study highlights the influence of stranger-painters on English art and refracts the history of England through the lens of this particular occupation.

Format: Hardback
Length: 306 pages
Publication date: 04 March 2022
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd

While renowned artists like Holbein, Rubens, or Van Dyck are celebrated for their artistic periods in England or their employment at the English court, it is important to recognize that they, like many other painters in Tudor and Early Stuart England, faced financial challenges. This book, authored by one of the foremost historians of Tudor and Stuart England, delves into the daily lives, practices, and activities of numerous painters who may be less well-known. Drawing upon a comprehensive biographical database encompassing nearly 3000 painters and craftsmen, including strangers and native English, Londoners, and provincial townmen, men, and occasionally women, the book offers a captivating account of what it meant to pursue a career in painting during the early modern period in England. It explores the origins of these painters, their geographical locations, the diverse range of their expertise, and the organizational structures and spatial arrangements of their workshops. Written in an engaging style, the book captures a sense of mobility and cultural exchange between England and the continent, particularly through the significant influence of stranger painters, challenging traditional notions of the insular nature of this phase in the history of English art. By examining how painters responded to the broader political, religious, and economic upheavals of the time, the study offers a unique perspective on the history of England, refracting it through the lens of this particular occupation.

Weight: 740g
Dimension: 163 x 240 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781783276639