The History of the Abraham tapestries at Hampton Court

Henry VIII's six enormous 'Abraham' tapestries, which line the north and south walls of the Great Hall at Hampton Court Palace are part of a complete set of 10. They are some of the most extraordinary surviving artworks of the Tudor court, and the most important tapestries in the Royal Collection. So, in 2023, Historic Royal Palaces began a major conservation project to protect the condition of the whole set. ‘The Birth and Circumcision of Isaac’ is the first to be rested from display as part of this programme.

Over the next 20 years, all 10 tapestries will, in turn, be carefully checked, microscopically analysed and then transferred to our looms for conservation stitching. Here, in the second post of a new series, Curator Brett Dolman explores how the tapestries came to be at Hampton Court, and their meaning to those who gazed upon them in the 16th century.

Glittering expositions of magnificence and success

Tapestries as status symbols in the Tudor court

Measuring almost 40 square metres each, the Abraham tapestries are among the most sumptuous and expensive ever produced in the Brussels workshop of Willem de Kempaneer during the 16th century. The complete set perhaps cost £2,000, which is an astonishing amount of money; a court artist like the peerless Hans Holbein earned about £30 a year. The 10 tapestries probably took at least two years to weave.

In the 16th century, tapestries were the epitome of cultural sophistication and a symbol of the lucky owner’s accomplishments and values: highly coloured, glittering expositions of magnificence and success. Gleaming with brightly coloured wool and silk, sparkling with gilded silver threads, the Abraham tapestries were not just practical insulation for a drafty palace, but intrinsically expensive artworks designed to impress.

We believe that Henry VIII commissioned the ‘Abrahams’ in about 1541, and they are first recorded at Hampton Court in 1547. They may have been first hung here in the Great Hall for the festivities surrounding the visit of the French ambassador the previous year, to show off Henry’s regal radiance and his bank account. They are also bold statements of the latest Renaissance artistry, and there is evidence to suggest that three artists were involved: Pieter Coecke van Aelst and Michel Coxcie perhaps working from an initial scheme by Bernaert van Orley, an artist who helped embed Renaissance aesthetics and narrative strength into tapestry design.

Henry VIII… benevolent prince?

A king’s message for his court

Tapestries are also purposeful storytellers. These particular tapestries tell the tale of Abraham – a patriarch, or father, of the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths – who is believed to have lived about 4,000 years ago. Each tapestry shows a different episode in Abraham’s life, as described in the Old Testament of the Bible.

But Abraham’s story is more than just an indication of Henry’s religious beliefs, it is a message to his court. Henry VIII saw himself as a ruler built in the mould of the great political and spiritual leaders of the past. He wanted to be respected as the head of the Tudor dynasty, a father of his people, reigning supreme over the newly independent Church of England.

Abraham’s actions throughout his adventures (as told by the tapestries) display the kind of virtues and qualities a Renaissance prince like Henry VIII was meant to possess. Around the central scene in each tapestry, the borders reinforce the messages of the story: there are dozens of figures labelled in Latin and representing ideals like ‘Pax’ (Peace) or ‘Concordia’ (Agreement) or virtues like ‘Fidelitas’ (Faithfulness) or ‘Misericordia’ (Mercy). Together, the stories and the borders show us how moral values and actions triumph over adversity and vice.