What a great week of reading again (both from Mantel and Simon). I could spend a lifetime thinking about how Mantel describes every character’s hands and what that tells us about them. Interestingly, this week, Cromwell notices that his hands have started to change. And we begin to see some of the less-heroic elements of his character (I had thought he was a bit too good to be true up until now, but we do only see him from his own point of view!)
We’ve thought a lot about ghosts over the last few weeks and I think we also see a lot of ‘future ghosts’. I am enjoying Mary (the king’s daughter), almost always off-stage, but hovering, nonetheless. This week we see her as a ‘vision’ being crowned queen. Likewise, Anne’s baby, who we know but the characters don’t, waits, preparing to change everything. As well as Wolf Hall lurking and waiting.
My other favourite part this week was seeing a glimpse of Anne’s relief as she – very briefly – takes her ‘hands off the wheel’. Up until now, she’s been rigid, taught and “still as a statue… only her fingers move”. But after the wedding she is momentarily described as full of movement, “she whirls around…tears bounce out of her eyes and seem to fly away from her”. We are never in Anne’s head, but I felt this section gave an insight into her relief and exuberance after years of careful planning and restraint. It doesn’t last long. Soon, “the queen sits very erect” again, and may only be approached if you’re quoting bible verses. She's back in control of herself with her mind on executing (excuse pun) the next part of her strategy - delivering the heir. Without saying much at all, Mantel captures Anne’s inner life vividly.
And it’s always good to see Katherine of course! Long live the (real) queen! :D
Simon, You write, "Cromwell is ambition personified."
And in this section, I think we really start to see how his closeness to Henry is beginning to affect his judgment. There's obsequiousness in Cromwell's view of Henry's ability to take on different moods. "...[Henry] could have been a traveling player, and leader of his troupe." He compares Henry to one of the ancient, mythic giants. Henry may be an adulterer, but he doesn't boast about it like some other kings would.
If absolute power corrupts absolutely, then being too close to absolute power also corrupts.
Cromwell and Queen (Dowager Princess) Katherine’s conversation at Ampthill showed his rise to power and influence in miniature, I thought.
In their initial meeting, Katherine had been dismissive of Cromwell (I did not think he would send a man like you).
But in this meeting, she spars with him, tells him he need a train of mules to carry his sins, and still smiles.
“Quite a broad smile. ‘I shall be sorry if I don’t see you again. You are so much quicker in conversation than the dukes.’”
It struck me how his momentary kindness to Princess Mary, in offering her the stool when she was faint at the earlier meeting, has become a measure of his character in their eyes.
From our viewpoint, following Cromwell through his world, it is an extraordinary thing to see him carve a path with kind gestures, witty remarks, generosity, and with threats, blackmail, and now hints of torture. Staggering range!
Thank you Simon for all the ‘little extras’ which are in fact, hugely engaging. The Holbein painting of Jean de Dinteville with the distorted skull was incredible.
I had my highlighter working overtime this week - so much to consider. Many of your quotes were my quotes and that pleased me. I particularly loved Friths one about “I cannot unlive my life.”
You are so insightful coming up with a weekly theme - very perceptive to go with the wardrobe adjustments 👏
I thought Rafe’s comment about mutable and mortal and womb and cradle to be absolute gold ❤️
I also appreciated Chapuys comments on distinction of welfare between country and Tudor line to be en pointe.
The discussion of the Victors of Agnicourt and Anne’s pregnancy to be no guarantee of no civil war 👏
I cannot help but admire Kathryn staying the course of what she holds to be the truth - warts and all - despite the failures she acknowledges.
For the first time I find myself eager for next week’s reading 🤩
Cromwell: "No, Christophe, I need you to stop the rain spoiling my hats."
Cromwell now keeps company with the mirror of his own younger self, a thug. This marks a turn to more thuggery for Cromwell himself, as the young gentlemen of his household begin to fledge / be married off.
Simon! You've outdone yourself this week. So many yummy details. Thank you! I'm so happy you pointed to that video about The Ambassadors; I've watched it a few times because it's just that good.
Last week, my husband Dave and I were in London to see theater and art — and I wanted to report back to you all about the 'Holbein at the Tudor Court' exhibit at The Queen's Gallery. It was very, very good, and I 100% recommend it if you can get to London. It's on until April 14.
The ticket includes a fantastic audio tour with music and interviews with various curators and historians, putting the drawings and paintings in context. It's an excellent supplement to the wall placards which include different information. The collection is primarily drawings — what a thrill to see a drawing with the pinholes Holbein used to transfer the image for the painting! — and in some cases, they're displayed alongside the painting for which the drawing was a study. The LIFE that's in those drawings is amazing, and seeing them next to the paintings is really interesting: What stayed the same? What changed a bit?
One of the highlights for me isn't even a Holbein painting, it's a wall-sized image of the the Field of the Cloth of Gold, referenced by Cromwell and Wolsey earlier in Wolf Hall. I went down a rabbit hole when I got home and find these links if you want to delve deeper:
This is a good general overview before diving into the more detailed stuff below
This link goes into the why and who of the event and painting, then further down the page, there's an interactive version that lets you zoom into the details. It's as close as you can get to seeing it in person. (Although, go see it in person if you can! It's stunning.)
At the end of the exhibition, there's another small room with details and examples of Holbein's tools and techniques. It only takes about 10 minutes to go through it, but don't skip it! It was one of our favorite parts of the tour. His precision and detail at the micro-level is so beautiful, and I love that when you get closer to the painting, more is revealed (as opposed to Impressionism, which I also love, but which kind of comes apart when you get close).
Also, we saw the musical 'Six' the night before. If you're inclined toward musicals at all, I can recommend this approach. Hearing the six wives' stories ('Haus of Holbein' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbyNfnlPCn4), then seeing the Holbein portraits was a very fun two-fer. Six seems to be playing EVERYWHERE, so you might look for a production near you.
https://sixthemusical.com/ It was so entertaining and exuberant, and also, sad. But a big party! But also, how much has changed/not changed in the last 500 years? Loved it so much.
As you probably tell, the Holbein exhibit really captured my imagination. Just thrilling. I hope some of you can get there to see it!
I remember studying Holbein's 'The Ambassadors' painting in my college art history survey classes. It was one of the main paintings from the Northern Renaissance my professor touched on. I forget what she called that particular device- with the skull, where you had to stand at a particular angle to see it properly- but she thought it was fantastic and innovative (she was a post-modernist, so had a particular slant to what she liked best). It seemed to strange to me at the time. It took further study with my Italian Renaissance art history professor to understand how completely the certainty of death filled the artwork of the time. 'Et in Arcadia Ego' was an idea we talked about over and over again in all the classes I took with her.
“You don’t know what young women will do. I have a houseful of daughters.”
He pauses. “You are blessed.”
More went right for the jugular on that one. Despite the coldness of that remark, I could listen to Crumb and More snipe at each other for a whole book.
I can't get over how great of an artist Holbein was. The fur on that painting is fantastic!
"You see" she says slowly, "I was always desired. But now I am valued. And that is a different thing, I find." One cannot help feeling pity for Anne in this scene. She is, when all is said and done, a young women who has staked everything on this one throw of the dice. So much can go drastically wrong, and there is no escape if it does. On a different note, thank you so much Simon for another fantastic entry! I admit, I did not notice the skull in Holbein's painting till you mentioned it (though I was impressed that Hans would include the mirror used to enhance the lighting in the finished portrait. He was an incomparable genius).
I’ve just got to the bit about Cranmer and the committee having to think up and list “every disaster and shame that can occur between a man and a woman alone in a room in the dark” 🤭 it’s such a farcical situation and yet the stakes are so high it takes on an even more tragic-comic hue.
Thank you so much for this week’s post, the move made in Early Mass to Anna Regina feels like a tipping point in so many ways. And thanks to Melissa for the excellent references and links. I’ve already re-read this half chapter twice this week and found it so rich. Henry keeping Lady Carey as an option for whilst Anne is unavailable rather than permitting her marriage elsewhere; Christophe as Cremuels mini-me; Frith refusing to notice the options open to him to escape… the marvellous Helen Barre ❤️👏
This was a section where I found myself noticing how good the writing is and how many factors go into making it such a compelling read. I remember finding the book dry and inaccessible on my first pass through, but now I really can’t understand why - there are so many laugh-out-loud funny lines, and the personal is mixed in with the political so well. I love it that Cromwell’s rise is shown not just by audiences with royalty, magnificent rings and going into crimson, but by the more down-to-earth human experiences of becoming the person that the neighbours come to to sort out noisome geese, with a house full of Frenchmen, Germans and Florentiners wanting their dinner. I also keep finding more examples of how much the dialogue does double or even triple duty in informing us of events and context while feeling like a natural expression of the characters and their relationships (Christophe is brilliant for this!) And Cromwell himself is shown from so many angles, he seems so real - last week he was quoting Castiglione on the equal capacities of men and women, this week he’s genuinely perplexed by the idea that Richard might want to know his future wife; he finds a ‘son’ in Christophe to fill the gap left by Gregory’s limitations; and in the midst of his ruthless ambition he’s shown as a man of faith, reflecting on Bainham’s quote that “in England there have been eight hundred years of mystification, just six years of truth and light”.
Dear Simon, if you ever doubt the value of what you’re doing here, and how much enjoyment you’re providing for us all, you just need to know how many times I’ve checked Substack today to see if ‘Anna Regina Part II’ is up yet (clue: it is a lot of times) 😂🙏🥰
Oh my goodness! I've just found out that Holbeins sketch for Mount Parnassus is here in Berlin in the Kupferstichkabinett! And that you can have it shown to you in the study room!
Another great week, thank you Simon. It does pain me to see a darker, more power lead side to Cromwell, yet Mantel still manages to make him likeable I feel. The quote that struck me this week was very random but I felt it was a thought Mantel herself had and found a place to put onto a page. This was in relation to Rafe (a character I very much like) and it was " Red headed people can look quite strained when they ate raising eyebrows that are not really there." Not only do I think this gives am insight in Mantel's thoughts, I also believe it shows how much she thinks about her characters and builds them into people we can imagine in front of us.
It seems to me that Cromwell found a wife for his nephew Richard practically while he was on his way home from the meeting in which Henry decided NOT to marry Richard to Lady Carey "at least, not at this time." Or maybe he did it even before that meeting. So Cromwell acted very quickly indeed to spare Richard at a later date from being pressured into a disastrous marriage, or pissing off the king.
What a great week of reading again (both from Mantel and Simon). I could spend a lifetime thinking about how Mantel describes every character’s hands and what that tells us about them. Interestingly, this week, Cromwell notices that his hands have started to change. And we begin to see some of the less-heroic elements of his character (I had thought he was a bit too good to be true up until now, but we do only see him from his own point of view!)
We’ve thought a lot about ghosts over the last few weeks and I think we also see a lot of ‘future ghosts’. I am enjoying Mary (the king’s daughter), almost always off-stage, but hovering, nonetheless. This week we see her as a ‘vision’ being crowned queen. Likewise, Anne’s baby, who we know but the characters don’t, waits, preparing to change everything. As well as Wolf Hall lurking and waiting.
My other favourite part this week was seeing a glimpse of Anne’s relief as she – very briefly – takes her ‘hands off the wheel’. Up until now, she’s been rigid, taught and “still as a statue… only her fingers move”. But after the wedding she is momentarily described as full of movement, “she whirls around…tears bounce out of her eyes and seem to fly away from her”. We are never in Anne’s head, but I felt this section gave an insight into her relief and exuberance after years of careful planning and restraint. It doesn’t last long. Soon, “the queen sits very erect” again, and may only be approached if you’re quoting bible verses. She's back in control of herself with her mind on executing (excuse pun) the next part of her strategy - delivering the heir. Without saying much at all, Mantel captures Anne’s inner life vividly.
And it’s always good to see Katherine of course! Long live the (real) queen! :D
Simon, You write, "Cromwell is ambition personified."
And in this section, I think we really start to see how his closeness to Henry is beginning to affect his judgment. There's obsequiousness in Cromwell's view of Henry's ability to take on different moods. "...[Henry] could have been a traveling player, and leader of his troupe." He compares Henry to one of the ancient, mythic giants. Henry may be an adulterer, but he doesn't boast about it like some other kings would.
If absolute power corrupts absolutely, then being too close to absolute power also corrupts.
Cromwell and Queen (Dowager Princess) Katherine’s conversation at Ampthill showed his rise to power and influence in miniature, I thought.
In their initial meeting, Katherine had been dismissive of Cromwell (I did not think he would send a man like you).
But in this meeting, she spars with him, tells him he need a train of mules to carry his sins, and still smiles.
“Quite a broad smile. ‘I shall be sorry if I don’t see you again. You are so much quicker in conversation than the dukes.’”
It struck me how his momentary kindness to Princess Mary, in offering her the stool when she was faint at the earlier meeting, has become a measure of his character in their eyes.
From our viewpoint, following Cromwell through his world, it is an extraordinary thing to see him carve a path with kind gestures, witty remarks, generosity, and with threats, blackmail, and now hints of torture. Staggering range!
I found this to be a BIG week in our Wolf Crawl.
Thank you Simon for all the ‘little extras’ which are in fact, hugely engaging. The Holbein painting of Jean de Dinteville with the distorted skull was incredible.
I had my highlighter working overtime this week - so much to consider. Many of your quotes were my quotes and that pleased me. I particularly loved Friths one about “I cannot unlive my life.”
You are so insightful coming up with a weekly theme - very perceptive to go with the wardrobe adjustments 👏
I thought Rafe’s comment about mutable and mortal and womb and cradle to be absolute gold ❤️
I also appreciated Chapuys comments on distinction of welfare between country and Tudor line to be en pointe.
The discussion of the Victors of Agnicourt and Anne’s pregnancy to be no guarantee of no civil war 👏
I cannot help but admire Kathryn staying the course of what she holds to be the truth - warts and all - despite the failures she acknowledges.
For the first time I find myself eager for next week’s reading 🤩
Christophe: "Send one to kill him. I will go."
Cromwell: "No, Christophe, I need you to stop the rain spoiling my hats."
Cromwell now keeps company with the mirror of his own younger self, a thug. This marks a turn to more thuggery for Cromwell himself, as the young gentlemen of his household begin to fledge / be married off.
Simon! You've outdone yourself this week. So many yummy details. Thank you! I'm so happy you pointed to that video about The Ambassadors; I've watched it a few times because it's just that good.
Last week, my husband Dave and I were in London to see theater and art — and I wanted to report back to you all about the 'Holbein at the Tudor Court' exhibit at The Queen's Gallery. It was very, very good, and I 100% recommend it if you can get to London. It's on until April 14.
https://www.rct.uk/collection/exhibitions/holbein-at-the-tudor-court/the-queens-gallery-buckingham-palace
The ticket includes a fantastic audio tour with music and interviews with various curators and historians, putting the drawings and paintings in context. It's an excellent supplement to the wall placards which include different information. The collection is primarily drawings — what a thrill to see a drawing with the pinholes Holbein used to transfer the image for the painting! — and in some cases, they're displayed alongside the painting for which the drawing was a study. The LIFE that's in those drawings is amazing, and seeing them next to the paintings is really interesting: What stayed the same? What changed a bit?
One of the highlights for me isn't even a Holbein painting, it's a wall-sized image of the the Field of the Cloth of Gold, referenced by Cromwell and Wolsey earlier in Wolf Hall. I went down a rabbit hole when I got home and find these links if you want to delve deeper:
This is a good general overview before diving into the more detailed stuff below
https://www.rct.uk/collection/405794/the-field-of-the-cloth-of-gold
This link goes into the why and who of the event and painting, then further down the page, there's an interactive version that lets you zoom into the details. It's as close as you can get to seeing it in person. (Although, go see it in person if you can! It's stunning.)
https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/history-and-stories/the-field-of-cloth-of-gold
This video about the restoration of the painting includes much of the same info as the audio tour at the exhibit; it's so cool. https://www.rct.uk/collection/conservation/a-tudor-painting-transformed
At the end of the exhibition, there's another small room with details and examples of Holbein's tools and techniques. It only takes about 10 minutes to go through it, but don't skip it! It was one of our favorite parts of the tour. His precision and detail at the micro-level is so beautiful, and I love that when you get closer to the painting, more is revealed (as opposed to Impressionism, which I also love, but which kind of comes apart when you get close).
Also, we saw the musical 'Six' the night before. If you're inclined toward musicals at all, I can recommend this approach. Hearing the six wives' stories ('Haus of Holbein' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbyNfnlPCn4), then seeing the Holbein portraits was a very fun two-fer. Six seems to be playing EVERYWHERE, so you might look for a production near you.
https://sixthemusical.com/ It was so entertaining and exuberant, and also, sad. But a big party! But also, how much has changed/not changed in the last 500 years? Loved it so much.
As you probably tell, the Holbein exhibit really captured my imagination. Just thrilling. I hope some of you can get there to see it!
I remember studying Holbein's 'The Ambassadors' painting in my college art history survey classes. It was one of the main paintings from the Northern Renaissance my professor touched on. I forget what she called that particular device- with the skull, where you had to stand at a particular angle to see it properly- but she thought it was fantastic and innovative (she was a post-modernist, so had a particular slant to what she liked best). It seemed to strange to me at the time. It took further study with my Italian Renaissance art history professor to understand how completely the certainty of death filled the artwork of the time. 'Et in Arcadia Ego' was an idea we talked about over and over again in all the classes I took with her.
“You don’t know what young women will do. I have a houseful of daughters.”
He pauses. “You are blessed.”
More went right for the jugular on that one. Despite the coldness of that remark, I could listen to Crumb and More snipe at each other for a whole book.
I can't get over how great of an artist Holbein was. The fur on that painting is fantastic!
Great job on this week's post!
"You see" she says slowly, "I was always desired. But now I am valued. And that is a different thing, I find." One cannot help feeling pity for Anne in this scene. She is, when all is said and done, a young women who has staked everything on this one throw of the dice. So much can go drastically wrong, and there is no escape if it does. On a different note, thank you so much Simon for another fantastic entry! I admit, I did not notice the skull in Holbein's painting till you mentioned it (though I was impressed that Hans would include the mirror used to enhance the lighting in the finished portrait. He was an incomparable genius).
I’ve just got to the bit about Cranmer and the committee having to think up and list “every disaster and shame that can occur between a man and a woman alone in a room in the dark” 🤭 it’s such a farcical situation and yet the stakes are so high it takes on an even more tragic-comic hue.
Thank you so much for this week’s post, the move made in Early Mass to Anna Regina feels like a tipping point in so many ways. And thanks to Melissa for the excellent references and links. I’ve already re-read this half chapter twice this week and found it so rich. Henry keeping Lady Carey as an option for whilst Anne is unavailable rather than permitting her marriage elsewhere; Christophe as Cremuels mini-me; Frith refusing to notice the options open to him to escape… the marvellous Helen Barre ❤️👏
This was a section where I found myself noticing how good the writing is and how many factors go into making it such a compelling read. I remember finding the book dry and inaccessible on my first pass through, but now I really can’t understand why - there are so many laugh-out-loud funny lines, and the personal is mixed in with the political so well. I love it that Cromwell’s rise is shown not just by audiences with royalty, magnificent rings and going into crimson, but by the more down-to-earth human experiences of becoming the person that the neighbours come to to sort out noisome geese, with a house full of Frenchmen, Germans and Florentiners wanting their dinner. I also keep finding more examples of how much the dialogue does double or even triple duty in informing us of events and context while feeling like a natural expression of the characters and their relationships (Christophe is brilliant for this!) And Cromwell himself is shown from so many angles, he seems so real - last week he was quoting Castiglione on the equal capacities of men and women, this week he’s genuinely perplexed by the idea that Richard might want to know his future wife; he finds a ‘son’ in Christophe to fill the gap left by Gregory’s limitations; and in the midst of his ruthless ambition he’s shown as a man of faith, reflecting on Bainham’s quote that “in England there have been eight hundred years of mystification, just six years of truth and light”.
Dear Simon, if you ever doubt the value of what you’re doing here, and how much enjoyment you’re providing for us all, you just need to know how many times I’ve checked Substack today to see if ‘Anna Regina Part II’ is up yet (clue: it is a lot of times) 😂🙏🥰
Oh my goodness! I've just found out that Holbeins sketch for Mount Parnassus is here in Berlin in the Kupferstichkabinett! And that you can have it shown to you in the study room!
/ hyperventilates/ 💃🏻💓💃🏻🔍
Another great week, thank you Simon. It does pain me to see a darker, more power lead side to Cromwell, yet Mantel still manages to make him likeable I feel. The quote that struck me this week was very random but I felt it was a thought Mantel herself had and found a place to put onto a page. This was in relation to Rafe (a character I very much like) and it was " Red headed people can look quite strained when they ate raising eyebrows that are not really there." Not only do I think this gives am insight in Mantel's thoughts, I also believe it shows how much she thinks about her characters and builds them into people we can imagine in front of us.
It seems to me that Cromwell found a wife for his nephew Richard practically while he was on his way home from the meeting in which Henry decided NOT to marry Richard to Lady Carey "at least, not at this time." Or maybe he did it even before that meeting. So Cromwell acted very quickly indeed to spare Richard at a later date from being pressured into a disastrous marriage, or pissing off the king.