Wolsey. Engraved by W.H. Mote. From a painting by Holbein.
$50.00
Antique print of Cardinal Wolsey. From a Painting by Holbein in the Collection at Christ Church Oxford. Engraved by English stipple and line engraver of portraits, William Henry Mote (1803-1871), for Portraits illustrative of The Pictorial History of England published in London circa 1840.
Thomas Wolsey (1473-1530), had been King Henry VII’s chaplain. Henry VIII appointed him King’s almoner (distributor of alms to the poor). He was an English churchman who became Archbishop of York in 1814, and was then made a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Leo X in 1815. He became involved in government affairs in 1512 when he urged Henry to wage war against the French on behalf of Pope Julius II. Success gained him rewards, and Wolsey ultimately became Lord Chancellor and chief adviser to the king – from 1515 to 1529.
The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge was established in 1825 with the aim of making good books at low prices available to the working class. Lord Brougham (Henry Peter Brougham) was the main instigator, and became Chairman of the Society, with a very large Committee of eminent people with a wide range of qualifications. The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge produced many well-illustrated publications, including Portraits illustrative of The Pictorial History of England in 1840 with the finest examples of illustrative portraiture, by the best engravers.
