Hic!

I'm pleased to see that an ancient English . . . er . . . entertainment has been re-created.

Even by the excessive standards of Henry VIII, this was something of a corker.

Intent on displaying his wealth, sophistication and generosity at a meeting with Francis I, the king of France, the portly English monarch built two fountains which spouted hundreds of gallons of free wine a day for his courtiers to enjoy.

Today, the clock was turned back to those extravagant times when a fully-working replica of one of those Tudor symbols of magnificence was unveiled at Hampton Court Palace, where Henry did much lavish entertaining.

The project was inspired by the discovery of the remains of a 16th century fountain during an archaeological dig at the palace two years ago.

The replica's design was based on the Field of the Cloth of Gold painting displayed at the palace. It shows Henry's meeting with Francis I at Guines near Calais in June 1520, when Henry also erected a a temporary 'palace' made from canvas.

The Field of the Cloth of Gold, with the wine fountain ringed in red.
(Click the image for a larger view.)

The meeting's aim was to strengthen the friendship between the two kings.

Henry's wine fountains clearly went down well - the painting even depicts some people vomiting after having too much to drink.

Close-up detail of the wine fountain

According to historical documents, one French guest observed that the fountains 'continually spouted white wine and claret, the best that could be found, with large silver cups for any one to drink - which was a remarkable thing!'.

. . .

The 13ft tall replica, made of timber, lead, bronze and gold leaf, stands on the site of the excavated fountain in Hampton Court's largest inner courtyard, Base Court, where Henry's guests were welcomed and received by court officials.

It is painted to look like white and red marble, features a naked gold figure of the Greek god of wine Bacchus, and bears the motto 'faicte bonne chere quy vouldra' - or 'let he who wishes make good cheer.'

The modern replica of the wine fountain

A spokesman for the Historic Royal Palaces admitted they did not know how the fountain would have operated in Tudor times.

'We have had to start from scratch. We know what it was built of and what it looked like but not the details,' she said.

'The outside is very 16th century, but it has a 21st century interior.'

There's more at the link.

Now that's something I'd like to see! Even better, glasses of the fountain's bounty are for sale. I think one could have quite a bibulous tour of the Palace, if one tried!



Peter