Thomas Cromwell used 'cut and paste' to insert himself into Henry VIII's Great Bible
The title page of the Great Bible, which has yielded its secrets after more than four centuries.
(Image: © Ian McKee/St John's College)
The Great Bible is often seen as a monument of English reform — but could it also contain the first known example of political photoshopping in early modern England? Printed in 1538-9, it was to be purchased by every parish church in the realm. Its creation was overseen by Henry VIII's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell. The Great Bible ushered in the English parish Bible and its large size and meticulous printing set the bar for centuries to come. Nowhere is its iconic appearance more evident than in a unique presentation copy made for the Tudor court. This copy was printed on vellum and hand-colored by highly skilled illuminators.
I encountered this lavish copy while carrying out an in-depth study of the production and use of Bibles in late medieval and early modern England. Researchers have long known about the Great Bible and used its striking title page for illustration. But little or no scientific analysis has ever been carried out on it. So I asked Paola Ricciardi, scientist in residence at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, to help me with a new investigation which utilized the latest technology to study the Bible in forensic detail. The results blew us away.
Our analysis revealed a new — and hitherto unknown — plot by Cromwell to literally change the balance of power on the Bible's front page, just one year before his execution for high treason. We plan to publish our research results in full later this year.
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