Thank you so much to Jena Gonzalez for sharing this news with me. It has been reported that a long-lost tapestry thought to have been owned by King Henry VIII has been found in a New York rug shop by historian Mary Beard.
Here are links to news articles and photos of the find:
- Long-lost King Henry VIII tapestry found in NYC rug gallery?
- Mary Beard stumbles upon ‘priceless set of Henry VIII tapestries’ in New York City rug shop
However, Mary Beard has written her own article on the find and actually dates the tapestry to after Henry VIII’s reign – see http://timesonline.typepad.com/dons_life/2016/12/a-lost-caesar-tapestry. Thank you to Charlie Fenton for the link.
Picture taken from CBS News.
I dreamt I found a Van Gogh in my loft, most miffed when I woke up.
i dreamt i was in the battle of roundheads and cavalears ,,,i woke to find a pick axe embedded in wall
To be fair, When this went viral on Twitter I didn’t give it much thought as Mary Beard normally talks a load of rubbish and in any case her experience is in the Roman and classical era so she would not know a sixteenth century tapestry if she was walking on it. How foolish to allow the press in before the experts gave their verdicts. What do archaeology proffessors and historians expect when they are premature? Look at history for lessons…. the press being invited by Canarvan (sorry about spelling) without Carter’s leave, the nonsense that followed the Tut find, the press hijacked the finding of the grave of Anne Mowbray, need I go on. I thought the years of dumb archaeology had gone…guess it is back with a vengeance. Professor Beard will not gain respect in academic circles for some time. It is a vicious, brutal, unforgiving environment. The tapestry does look very old, but silence is the rule until a find has been verified. Why do people think the press were kept out of the Richard iii dig until it was agreed what to say on the open day and the press announced it only after his identity was confirmed? Because he could have been Friar x, not the long lost King. I had seen the article, but not given much weight till I read the experts. It is a lovely piece, but I am disappointed that Mary Beard did not keep the press out before verification.
Happy new year to Claire Tim and family and everyone on the Anne Boleyn Files.