 |
| The Family of Henry VIII, by an unknown artist. |
According to Suzanna Lipscomb who wrote an article about the painting in historytoday.com, that shows Henry VIII with his long-dead, favorite wife, Jane Seymour, his son Edward and his daughters Mary and Elizabeth. Lipscomb noted that the male fool had a monkey on his shoulders. Historians identified the fool as William Somer, the king’s fool.
Left to Right in the painting: 'Mother Jak', The Lady Mary, Prince Edward, Henry VIII, Jane Seymour, The Lady Elizabeth and Wil Somers
On the left side of the painting is a bald woman, who Lipscomb said is probably ‘Jane the Fool’, fool to Anne Boleyn, Princess Mary and Katherine Parr, Henry VIII’s sixth and actual wife at the time. By adding them in the painting, it suggests that fools had an important and privileged role in the Tudor court.
