The Field of Cloth of Gold, by Glenn Richardson

The Field of Cloth of Gold or Val Doré, the meeting between kings Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France in June 1520, has long been a source of fascination to dramatists and historians alike. The sheer spectacle and extravagance involved in the event continues to command the attention of our visual age. That two celebrated Renaissance princes in the prime of life came together to joust, feast and exchange gifts and honours, supposedly in the cause of peace but soon returning to war with one another, has also been depicted as the emptiest of gestures, more about show than substance. Glenn Richardson sets out to challenge this assumption, and others, in his meticulous presentation of every aspect of the event, down to the last detail of the movement and expenditure of the kings and their entourages, as well as the wider historical context leading up to, and following, the meeting. The latter, in particular, sets this book apart from earlier accounts, allowing the reader fully to understand the implications of its carefully negotiated choreography. Richardson is to be commended on his sensitive reconstruction of the Field’s remarkable sights and sounds, and for his balanced treatment of the two courts, whose aspects are compared and contrasted and fully integrated throughout the text. Indeed, he is particularly well equipped in this regard to act as our guide, since the comparative history of the English and French kingdoms has always lain at the heart of his own research interests and subsequent publications.

Art · Art history · Choreography · Context (archaeology) · Event (particle physics) · Literature · Presentation (obstetrics) · Classics · Historical Art and Culture Studies · Historical Influence and Diplomacy · History · Reformation and Early Modern Christianity