The earliest image of one of the most romantic lost buildings of England, a fairytale castle bristling with towers and spires built by Henry VIII, then demolished after 130 years to settle the gambling debts of a royal mistress, has been acquired by the V&A museum for £1m.
The palace in the watercolour, painted by the Flemish artist Joris Hoefnagel in 1568, was built as a spectacular hunting lodge to outshine Fontainebleau, the French palace of Henrys contemporary and great rival François I. The village of Cuddington, near Cheam in Surrey, was moved and its medieval parish church flattened to make way for the palace, which was named Nonsuch, as it was regarded as beyond compare with any other building.
Although it was unfinished whe…
Read the full article at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/dec/09/v-and-a-acquires-earliest-picture-henry-viii-lost-palace-nonsuch