Tudor art and artists quiz - The Tudor Society

How much do you know about the artists and art of the Tudor court? Test your knowledge with this fun quiz.

Q1) Hans Holbein the Younger's mural depicting Henry VIII no longer exists, what happened to it?

It was destroyed in a fire in 1698

It was painted over

It was destroyed by Parliamentary forces in the English Civil War

It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666

Correct! Whitehall Palace, where it had been painted on one of the walls of the staterooms in 1537, burnt down in 1698. A cartoon (sketch) still survives.

Wrong! It was destroyed by fire. Whitehall Palace, where it had been painted on one of the walls of the staterooms in 1537, burnt down in 1698. A cartoon (sketch) still survives.

Q2) In which museum can the only surviving original Holbein portrait of Henry VIII be found?

Walker Art Gallery

National Gallery

Museo Nacional del Prado

Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza

Correct! It is a head and shoulders portrait.

Wrong! It's in the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid.

Q3) Which famous miniaturist was responsible for the Pelican and Phoenix portraits of Elizabeth I?

Levina Teerlinc

George Gower

Nicholas Hilliard

Simon Bening

Correct!

Wrong! It was Nicholas Hilliard.

Q4) Who served as court miniaturist to Henry VIII from 1525 until his death in 1544?

Gerard Horenbout

Lucas Horenbout

Hans Holbein the Younger

Gerlach Flicke

Correct!

Wrong! It was Lucas Horenbout.

Q5) Who painted the famous Tudor painting "The Ambassadors"?

Hans Eworth

Isaac Oliver

George Gower

Hans Holbein the Younger

Correct!

Wrong! It was Hans Holbein the Younger.

Q6) Which Tudor artist was responsible for the Rainbow Portrait of Elizabeth I?

Isaac Oliver

Nicholas Hilliard

George Gower

William Scrots

Correct!

Wrong! It was Isaac Oliver.

Q7) What is unusual about one of the portraits of Edward VI attributed to Guillim (or William) Scrots from 1546?

It depicts Edward with his father Henry VIII

It is anamorphic

It is unfinished

It depicts him in informal attire

Correct! It is distorted and can only be viewed properly from a specific angle from the side.

Wrong! It is anamorphic, i.e. it is distorted and can only be viewed properly from a specific angle from the side.

Q8) The Ditchley Portrait of Elizabeth I by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger depicts Elizabeth standing on a globe of the world. On which English county is she standing?

Sussex

Berkshire

Warwickshire

Oxfordshire

Correct! The painting was commissioned by Sir Henry Lee, the Queen's Champion from 1559-90, whose house was at Ditchley near Oxford.

Wrong! It's Oxfordshire. The painting was commissioned by Sir Henry Lee, the Queen's Champion from 1559-90, whose house was at Ditchley near Oxford.

Q9) Quentin Metsys the Younger, the Flemish Renaissance artist, is best known for his portrait of Elizabeth I painted in around 1583. What is Elizabeth holding in the portrait?

An olive branch

A rainbow

A sieve

A fan

Correct!

Wrong! She is holding a sieve.

Q10) Which artist was responsible for a miniature of Mary I as a princess in c.1525, which the National Portrait Gallery believes "may be the earliest surviving English portrait miniature"?

Lucas Horenbout

Master John

Hans Holbein the Younger

Levina Teerlinc

Correct!

Wrong! It was Lucas Horenbout.