Report from Europe.

Henry VIII was the second Tudor king of England and the first to understand the importance of the portrait as a propaganda tool. Although his wars with France and Scotland drained the British coffers, this was not depicted in portraits of the king, who is represented to impress the viewer with his regal power.

An exhibition entitled Henry VIII Revealed at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool assembles four of the finest full-length portraits of the king, along with drawings by Hans Holbein the Younger and a number of objects belonging to or relating to Henry The curator is Xanthe Brooke and the exhibition is on view from January 24 until March 30. The accompanying catalogue, with essays by the curator and David Crombie, a paintings conservator at the Conservation Centre, Liverpool, who has restored the museum's portrait of the king, may be ordered by telephoning 44-151-478-4685.

Nineteenth-century faience from Tours

Tin-glazed earthenware, or faience, was introduced in the early sixteenth century in imitation of Chinese porcelain to France, Germany and the Netherlands, and by mid-century it had arrived in England. Because it was not as fine as porcelain, it was not as expensive and therefore more widely available.

In Tours, France, two families, the Avisseau and the Landais, dominated faience production. In the nineteenth century Charles Jean Avisseau developed a style of faience that satisfied the obsession with nature of the time. His objects could be used decoratively both in the garden and in the house. He felt very strongly that he was bringing nature to everyone. He said: "Withdrawn in my studio with my son and one of my daughters, we make together art for art's sake. Our happiness and success come from the conscientious study of nature."

An exhibition entitled Tours Faience 1840-1910: Avisseau, a Fantastic Bestiary is on view at the Musee des Beaux-Arts in Tours until January 13. It will then be seen at the Musee national Adrien Dubouche in Limoges, France, from February 4 to May 12. The curators are Philippe Le Leyzour, Danielle Oger, and Chantal Meslin-Perrier. An illustrated catalogue, in French, published by the Reunion des musees nationaux, may be ordered by telephoning 33-2-47-05-68-73.

Arthur Rackham