ABSTRACT
A rich display of gold, silver, jewels and tapestries was a key part to the magnificence expected of an early modern prince. But under Henry VIII it was taken to extraordinary levels. Such displays were essential to the projection of royal power and were no less important on progress than at Westminster or Hampton Court. This chapter looks at the Field of Cloth of Gold as the primary example of magnificence on the move but also considers the evidence for such precious baggage accompanying Henry’s subsequent meeting with Francis in 1532, on his annual progresses around southern England, on military campaigns abroad and on the exceptional progress to York in 1541. Our knowledge of these domestic journeys is not based on ambassadorial reports so much as on documents relating to the detailed logistical planning by officers of the jewel house. The discussion will consider the exchange of gifts of plate between princes and courtiers, how the prospect of the 1532 summit galvanised the two kings into ordering new high-fashion wares and how Henry used his visits to Calais to buy sumptuous luxury goods direct from Parisian jewellers and goldsmiths who queued up to offer him their choicest works.
