The King in All His Magnificence: Tapestry as a Stage Set for the Performance of Progress

At the time of his death, Henry VIII owned around seventy properties, many of which he used whilst on progress. Some were favourites for a while, meriting investment in bespoke tapestries and lavish costumes for entertainments for the king before their appeal waned, and their contents were dispersed. One example is New Hall in Essex, which Henry renamed “Beaulieu” after acquiring it from Sir Thomas Boleyn, father of Anne Boleyn, in 1518. For a while it was one of his favourite residences, and he spent lavishly on 108 tapestries for its walls and on costumes for an elaborate masque, which was staged when Henry visited on progress in 1519. By the later 1530s, however, Beaulieu’s star had waned as a progress venue, and by Henry’s death its rich furnishings were elsewhere. This paper discusses the logistics of “set dressing” a palace which was not a permanent residence (or “standing house”) to make it fit for a king, and what happened to these items when Henry or his interest moved on. It explores which items were considered “disposable” after a single event or visit and which were relocated or repurposed. Using the 1547 Inventory of textiles and furnishings taken around six months after Henry’s death and evidence from accounts during Henry’s reign, it examines how—and more particularly why—the colour and magnificence of the court was brought to life, and what its afterlife was.