Cardinal Wolsey entering the Abbey of Leicester
1850
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1850
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Cardinal Wolsey entering the Abbey of Leicester is a 1850 by R Westall, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This print shows a historical church scene from England. It’s about Cardinal Wolsey, a key figure in Henry the Eighth’s reign. The artist chose a dramatic moment, like Wolsey entering a grand abbey. The museum notes it’s a print, not a painting. That means many copies could exist. It’s a quiet piece but tells a bigger story from history. Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see it.
The print depicts a scene from a nineteenth-century adaptation of Henry the Eighth, showing Cardinal Wolsey entering Leicester Abbey with bowed head, surrounded by a mix of standing and kneeling figures. In the doorway, a robed man with uncovered head extends his arms toward Wolsey in a gesture of welcome. Below the main image, a smaller inset illustrates Wolsey turning away from armed nobles while refusing to surrender the Great Seal.
Read the full account in the museum source.
R Westall made prints in the early 1800s that showed dramatic moments from British history.
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