Wednesday, July 15, 2009

"Henry VIII: Dressed to Kill" at the Tower of London

Catherine Delors reminded me about the fascinating exhibit being held at the Tower of London through January, 2010. "Henry VIII: Dressed to Kill" gathers together some of the world's rarest arms and armor to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Henry's accession to the throne. The exhibit displays complete sets of armor crafted for specific events, including the spectacular meeting of Henry and François I at the Field of Cloth of Gold in June 1520. If you can't visit in person, be sure to check out the exhibition website, which features slideshows, descriptions of various pieces, articles on armor and historic battles, even interactive games! This is one exhibition I'm sad I won't be able to see.

2 comments:

AndreaZ said...

This is something that I would love to see myself. Thanks for the link to check it out!

Andrea

Catherine Delors said...

Yes, it is great show.
Sad too: you get a visual idea of the physical deterioration of Henry, becoming obese as he aged. The size of his buttocks became quite impressive.
Also sad to see him, in his younger years, wearing his and Katherine of Aragon's joint monograms during a tournament...