UK Blog #39: Hampton Court Palace: An Impossible Tudor Painting

As we walked through Hampton Court Palace, Tom pointed out a painting from 1545 that could not be possible. Jane Seymour, his favorite wife, died in childbirth with Henry's son Edward VI. The painting shows Jane and a 6 year old Edward VI. The painting also contained a female and a male fool on either side.

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.