English Renaissance
1. Choose a type of furniture or decorative object of the English Renaissance period in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Go to http://collections.vam.ac.uk and type in “Tudor” or “Jacobean” in the search section. Discuss your choice in terms of meaning or symbolism.
Please include an image. (Careful! Make sure you look at the date, as some of the items that appear after the search are reproductions.)
2. There is an historic site in Richmond, Virginia called Agecroft Hall. Do a little research on it and tell me a bit about its history. A place to start: https://www.agecrofthall.org/
Sample Answer
English Renaissance
English renaissance was a creative and cultural movement in England in the late 15th period to the 17th period. It related to the pan European Renaissance that begun in Italy in the late 14th period (Zunder & Trill 2016). This paper will discuss English Renaissance-era furniture, its meaning or symbolism and the History of Agecroft Hall.
English Renaissance-era Furniture
The Juxon chair was commonly used in ceremonies by the monarchs and other prominent participants. It had symbolic forms as a throne, authority seat, and the seat of the soul. A footstool accompanied it. It was made together with its stool in 1661 by John Casbert the royal upholster and was used by the Canterbury Archbishop, William Juxon during the rule of Charles II who ruled as from 1660 to 1685. It has a beech frame, a greenish-blue satin, and purple velvet upholstery. It is decorated with a gold wire fringe, silver golden wire and gold-colored cotton that attached to using hard nails with ornamental golden heads. That symbolized richness (Ponsonby 2016).
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O10273/the-juxon-chair-chair-casbert-john/
History of Agecroft Hall
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Agecroft_Hall.jpg
Agecroft Hall, during the English Renaissance period, the 16th century stood in Lancashire, England. It remained home of the great English Dauntesey and Langley families for many years during the Stuart and Tudor ages. The hall stood firmly during the rules of Elizabeth I, Henry VIII and James I. As a result of coal mining in the mid-1920 s, the Hall depreciated largely. It was bought by businessman Richmond who had it dismantled and shipped across the Atlantic Ocean for reconstruction as a private residence. Some decades later, the hall turned into a house museum surrounded by glorious gardens all paying honor to Elizabethan age. (Mills 2016).
Conclusion
Juxon chair remained unique and valuable furniture during the English Renaissance period since prominent persons and monarchies commonly used it in conducting their ceremonies. As well, the Agecroft hall was unique as the home of the great English Dauntesey and Langley families for many years.
References
- Mills, S. F. (2016). Moving buildings and changing history. In Heritage, Memory, and the Politics of Identity (pp. 121-132). Routledge.
- Ponsonby, M. (2016). Faded and threadbare historical textiles and their role in houses open to the public. Routledge.
- Zunder, W., & Trill, S. (2016). Writing and the English Renaissance. Routledge.
