Article on page 12 of Dickon Independent issue 103

Ralph's Christmas Card

Ralph’s Christmas card was very intriguing. He thought the beautiful medieval painting on the front might be contemporary with Richard and that the figure being crowned by the Virgin Mary could be Richard (apart from the red hair). The man appears to be wearing a Yorkist collar!

Fortunately on the back of the card the painting was identified as The Feast of the Rose Garlands. Off to google, which told me the work was painted in Venice in 1506 by Albrecht Dürer. So it was painted 21 years after Richard’s death. But all is not lost - the king with the red hair is none other than Maximilian I, the husband of Mary, daughter of Charles the Bold of Burgundy and step-daughter to Margaret of York, Charles’ wife and Richard’s sister. Mary unfortunately died young following a fall from her horse in 1482. Maximilian has placed his imperial crown on the ground in order to receive his crown of white roses. I think the collar he wears is for the Order of the Golden Fleece.

Kneeling opposite him is Pope Julius II. In the right background is a self-portrait of Dürer with long blond hair wearing a fur coat. He holds a scroll bearing his signature and the fact that the painting took 5 months to complete.

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