The Field of the Cloth of Gold
The Field of the Cloth of Gold, a lavish event in European history, epitomized the extravagant nature of the Renaissance era. In 1520, King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France engaged in a grandiose display of opulence and diplomacy on a field near Calais. The objective was not just political but also to showcase their wealth and power.

The sheer excessiveness of the occasion was staggering, with sumptuous tents adorned in extravagant fabrics, including the ostentatious gold cloth from which the event derived its name. Two monkeys covered in gold leaf, while an audacious display, were just a glimpse of the overall extravagance. The Field of the Cloth of Gold serves as a testament to the excesses of the time, where kings vied to out-bling each other as a symbol of their prestige and authority.