More about the surviving tapestry commissioned by King Henry VIII

Whilst we are on the theme of objects that survive from the court of King Henry VIII I posted a while back about the moves being made to acquire for the new gallery in Bishop Auckland the sole surviving tapestry from the series created for the King that depicted the life of St Paul in Recovering a tapestry commissioned by King Henry VIII

Tapestries were of great importance as a means of displaying wealth and status, created a setting of luxury and splendour for courts and households on the move in the medieval and early modern periods, as well as fulfilling the purely practical in making rooms warmer and more welcoming than with just plain walls. Just as cathedrals were hung with tapestries on vestal occasions, so too were palaces, castles and manor houses. They were not necessarily always permanently hung with tapestries and wall hangings, although some certainly do appear to have been from surviving records. Being portable a monarch or noble could send such textiles ahead to create a new home from home, including probably in tented accommodation as in the visit to York in 1541. The royal court and noble households were in some ways analagous to a shifting stage set for the living out of a very public life. The tapestry pieces commissioned by King Henry - and he had a great number - were perhaps intended as more or less permanent features.

Since my note the Mail Online has featured the story of the tapestry and its significance in terms of its quality and preservation in an article which can be seen at Campaign to return Henry VIII tapestry that turned up in Spain