I wrote this for an assignment in my writing class to describe a work of art. My teacher said to use lots of descriptive adjectives ^_^
Henry VIII is famous for his six wives. Hans Holbein the Younger made a portrait of this infamous king in 1540, when Henry VIII was on wife number four. In the background of the portrait are the words “anno etats svae xlix”, written in small golden letters, signifying that Henry VIII was fourty nine years old at the time. By then, his size had grown considerably.
This portrait is entirely filled up with Henry VIII and his enormous, exquisitely ornamented, and finely detailed attire. Gold embroidery criss-crosses the front of his outfit and embellishes the mighty sleeves. An uncompromising velvet lays underneath the flashy gold. Set into the suit are opulent, dark jewels, large and numerous. Resting on his chest is a grand, thick, golden necklace, inlaid with pearls and the same dark jewels. A royal black fur vest doesn't get in the way of the details at all, rather, it brings out the colour of the rest.
All of this attire simply magnifies the obvious power of King Henry VIII. He stands with commanding confidence. In the bottom right of the portrait hangs an ornamental sword. It is really not for practical use - just for show, but by the king's expression of determination and the way he clenches that glove in hand, you know that he wouldn't hesitate to send you to the executioner, who would do the dirty work for him, if you got in the way of one of his royal schemes.
Yes, you can see it in his large, square figure and in his large, square face - this is a man who rules England! By his resolute countenance you know that he will have as many wives as he pleases.
He has slight, fine, almost keen features - small, unassuming eyes, a tight little mouth, and eyebrows that are barely there, except near the end, above the ordinary nose, where they frown at you. Calm boldness is written across his face. Above is a long black hat decorated with three jewels and four strings of pearls, all inlaid with gold embroidery, and topped with a tufty, yellowish-grey crest running along the top and whirling down the left side. Below is a dark beard making his face square. The background consists of a mere solid, dark, rich green colour, so as to not attract attention away from the magnificent king.
Everything portrayed in this portrait shows that Henry VIII is the opposite of timid. He will get his way, come whatever may.
