Artists of the Tudor court Artists of the Tudor court The artists of the Tudor court are the painters and limners engaged by the monarchs of England's Tudor dynasty and their courtiers between 1485 and 1603, from the reign of Henry VII to the death of Elizabeth I. Typically managing a group of assistants and apprentices in a workshop or studio, many of these artists produced works across several disciplines, including portrait miniatures, large-scale panel portraits on wood, illuminated manuscripts, heraldric emblems, and elaborate decorative schemes for masques, tournaments, and other events. The Tudor period was one of unusual isolation from European trends for England.
The Merry Monarch sister to the 1829 Derby winner Frederick. His sire, Slane, was runner-up in the Ascot Gold Cup and, thanks largely to The Merry Monarch's Derby win, was Champion sire in 1845. The Merry Monarch was sent into training with John "Daddy" Forth who, at the age of sixty, had trained and ridden Frederick in the Derby. Gratwicke's horses were based at Goodwood at a stable owned by the Duke of Richmond. Following a disagreement with the Duke, Gratwicke moved his horses to Newmarket, Suffolk. On his first racecourse appearance, The Merry Monarch ran in the Ham Stakes at Goodwood in