He has eaten artichokes and said they are his favourite thing in the world

In a recent post, I wrote an introduction to my Cromwell Cloke, with a view to sharing the “becoming” of a piece of my textile art. With that in mind, this series discusses some of the objects depicted on the Cloke, and the creative decisions behind each piece.

In Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror and the Light, Cromwell holds a dinner at his house in Hackney. The King attends, along with the Queen that is now, Jane Seymour, and his daughter Mary. He takes the opportunity to announce that artichokes are his “favourite thing in the world”.

An artichoke on the Cromwell Cloke

Artichokes provided the initial spark of inspiration about the decoration of the Cromwell Cloke, when it was just emerging as a concept. I wanted to use objects that Cromwell owned or that were significant to him - either from the historical record, or in the Cromwell Trilogy, or both. And so, a couple of months ago, I sat down to sketch an artichoke. First on paper, and then on a strip of fabric. This strip of fabric would go on to become the back section of the Cromwell Cloke - the section that represents Cromwell’s relationship with the Cardinal.

Artichokes from Hampton Court

Lord Cromwell’s Accounts include a couple of payments for artichokes. I was very pleased with the idea of someone bringing artichokes to Austin Friars, or Stepney, or Hackney; Thomas Avery handing over payment in cash; and then diligently recording the transaction in Lord Cromwell’s Accounts.

Thus, on July 2 1537, Thomas Avery recorded a payment of 20d to “the gardener at Hampton Court for bringing artichokes”. I like this record. I like the fact that thanks to an account book we know that Thomas Cromwell received artichokes and from whence they came - and it’s therefore rather wonderful to discover that one can still get artichokes at Hampton Court today.

In July, I went over to Hampton Court for an afternoon’s Cromwelling. I called in at the kitchen garden shop, which sells fresh produce grown in the grounds. Imagine my frustration when I witnessed the last artichoke of the day being taken by someone else. Had Lord Cromwell been with me, I suspect that the buyer would have been delighted to hand it over. But my plea - that I needed to stitch an artichoke and, ideally, an artichoke from Hampton Court - went unheeded.

Instead I left empty handed - but I then spent a happy hour or so wandering in the kitchen garden until I found the artichokes that were still growing. I didn’t have one to take home, but I had the pleasure of knowing that plants like this were there in the 1530s, that people enjoyed eating them then, and that they still enjoy them today.

The Cardinal’s artichoke?

I included an artichoke on the Cromwell Cloke in the section that relates to the Cardinal. Now one could say that I made a mistake here. After all, the artichokes in Lord Cromwell’s accounts are recorded in 1537 long after the fall of Wolsey. And Wolsey is long dead by the time that Hilary Mantel shows us King Henry enjoying artichokes in Hackney.

But I didn’t make a mistake. What captured my attention was that the artichokes were recorded in the accounts as coming from the Hampton Court gardener. And of course Hampton Court was built by Cardinal Wolsey, before he handed it over to the King. It is at Hampton Court where Cromwell witnesses a play - The Cardinal’s Descent into Hell¹ - for which he brings about a terrible revenge. So I like to think that the 1537 artichokes reminded Cromwell of his beloved Cardinal.

1. There is no evidence in the historical record that this play was actually performed at Hampton Court, but Hilary decided to place it there; where it takes on additional significance as the public and very loaded humiliation of the Cardinal’s memory.