Panel, stucco panel

The timber-framed outer court of Henry VIII’s Nonsuch Palace was covered with stucco panels framed by plaques of carved and gilded slate. The decorative scheme covered an area of 2,055 square metres, and depicted the Roman emperors; the gods and goddesses of classical mythology and scenes from the life of Hercules with the liberal arts and virtues. By a remarkable chance most of these panel fragments were found together at the foot of the south-west tower from which they had fallen. Their original position is shown in Joris Hoefnagel's watercolour of Nonsuch of 1568. Some of the Nonsuch stuccoes were carried out by Giles Geringe. The style of decoration was heavily influenced by the royal palace of Fontainbleau in France.
Nonsuch Palace, near Ewell in Surrey, was built as a magnificent hunting lodge between 1538 and 1547. It was designed to celebrate the Tudor dynasty, the thirtieth anniversary of Henry’s reign and the birth of Edward, the long awaited heir. Henry spent £24,500 on the project, and he employed specialist craftsmen to produce the sumptuous external decoration. Nonsuch played a key role in the development of Tudor architecture and the emergence of the renaissance style in England. The moulded and carved stuccoes were created by a team of specialists but much of the technical and artistic expertise was provided by Nicholas Bellin of Modena who had worked for Francis I at Fontainebleau.