Koningen Hendrik VIII en Edward VI, koninginnen Mary en Elizabeth

The four monarchs are depicted standing in a horizontal line, arranged chronologically from left to right. The kings are shown in ornate suits of armor holding unsheathed swords, while the queens wear high-collared gowns and hold scepters. Each figure is positioned next to a shield or lozenge bearing the royal arms of England, combining the fleur-de-lis of France with the lions of England.

This print represents the Tudor succession during the height of the English Renaissance. Queen Elizabeth I (far right) was a major patron of the Hermetic philosopher and mathematician John Dee, whose work in natural philosophy and navigation was central to the intellectual life of the Elizabethan court.