Status Underfoot: The Untold Role of Rugs in 16th-Century Royal Art
London House Rugs - July 31 2025
16th Century Royal Portraiture and the hand knotted rug
Imagine this……You are a hard- working artist who has honed their skill at portraiture to the extent that you are receiving commissions from the great and the good of Tudor London.
When this extends to royalty and you have born witness to the ease with which heads are separated from their bodies in the Royal Court, what are you going to do to make sure that your work has that extra something that uniquely adds to the richness of the composition?
Well, like many Interior designers today, artists in 16th century London turned to the East for inspiration and included the finely woven and richly coloured rugs that had begun to arrive in Europe, through newly opened trade routes with the Ottoman empire in Turkey and the Safavid empire in Persia.
These rugs were extremely precious items and were only to be found in the houses of the very wealthy and important. Using them as a back- drop or tablecloth in a portrait, not only added colour and design to the composition of the painting, but also conferred an aura of wealth and importance to the sitter.
Here we see Catherine Parr, Henry VIII’s 6th wife, standing on an Oushak rug which will have arrived from the Ottoman Empire
through trade with Genoese merchants, and finally to London, to add a colourful anchor to the base of this portrait of the King’s new bride. The same Geometric shapes of stylised blossom and plant forms are visible in Oushak rugs from the 19th century and are available in our antique rug stock below.
King Edward the VI was next in line, but he ascended the throne at only 9 years old. As the only legitimate son of Henry VIII by Jane Seymour (His 3rd wife) It was important for him to project an image of authority despite his young age, and so this portrait, painted in 1547, sees Edward posed in the same proud and confident stance that can be seen in the famous portrait of his father by Hans Holbein.
It is worth noting that Edward stands proudly on a beautiful rug full of star motifs and in the most exquisite colours. The rug is Caucasian and will have come down the Silk Route, a trading line that eventually stretched all the way to China.
This piece, knotted in what is now Turkmenistan, is rich in terracottas and greens, a colour which requires double the dying to produce, and so adds to the expense and rarity of the carpet.
It is no accident that Edward is standing on a ruffled rug, as a statement is being made in the image we see.
Rugs were items of luxury and huge cost in Tudor England, and the careless way that this rug has been thrown on the floor aims to show how powerful and wealthy the king is- “who cares about a mere rug, when you have a whole country at your feet”
At London House, we carefully add to our antique rug collection, only with pieces that reflect the authenticity and skill of master weavers. Click the link below to find a rug to place your throne on!