Decorating the "Godly" Household : Religious Art in Post-Reformation Britain

The Reformation is generally regarded as a calamitous episode in the history of British art, with the rich artistic heritage of the medieval period eradicated and replaced by an austere Protestant culture of the word. This compelling new study presents a wealth of visual evidence to argue that religious subject matter was common in the arts of Protestant Britain. Tara Hamling examines decorative features from historic houses throughout England and Scotland and identifies a significant but overlooked trend in the history of British art. Far from being hostile towards images, a great many Protestant patrons continued to desire and commission traditional religious art to decorate their houses.

Tara Hamling is a RCUK/Roberts Research Fellow in the Department of History, University of Birmingham, and a Fellow of the Shakespeare Institute, where she is currently based.