Henry the VIII beheaded his wives, and here is where he kept them. Their heads were bejeweled with clusters of pearls nestled among their curls. He thought he had quieted them, each in their box, but each nightfall they chattered and shattered his rest. So he sold the box to a museum. The curator placed the box in the left wing. People went by to see it, and the heads told them stories of their deaths. Young and old alike were scared to the core, and a petition was made to do away with Henry the VIII. Each head was placed on a staff, and the crowd marched them at the castle gate. The heads shouted, 'Away with him!,' as he watched from a window. The King reached in his wooden music chest, took out one of his 47 recorders, and began to play a song he wrote for his wives, in order to quiet the crowd. The wives sang along with the song, the staff carriers did dance, and a merry rhythm was made with the clicking of pearls about the wives' heads. And here are some words from his now famous tune: 'Company, good company, I love and shall until I die.' And, twill be soon, the heads did cry. Shaking his fist the King turned to the left, shouting, 'I'm Henry the VIII I am I am!' Then he dropped out of sight quite dead. His death was mysterious to all who beheld his fall. The crowd processed back to the museum. Each head returned in peace to its place. And there they are to this very day.

Authors' Statements

Ginny Hertzenberg

Ginny holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Anthropology from the University of Delaware. She is a wife and mother of two children. As part of her church activities she visits shut-ins regularly and has entertained at banquets with singing and playing her autoharp. Art and storytelling have always been important to her. As a child, Ginny's parents nightly read the classic children's stories to her. She would study the artwork in the books and dream of being part of the story herself. As an adult she read to her own children, encouraging them to imagine their own stories. She has visited countless art museums throughout the country and Europe and was delighted to write a story for the Delaware Art Museum.

Judith A. Lesnaw

Judith holds a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana. She is Professor of Biology at the University of Kentucky in Lexington KY where she does research on viruses, and teaches virology to freshmen, seniors, and graduate Students. She is a strong advocate of interdisciplinarity, and enriches her virology lectures with art, music and history. She studies alto recorder, and is an enthusiastic supporter of the Center for Old Music in the New World that is based in Lexington KY. She enjoyed co-authoring with her sister, Ginny, a story for the Delaware Art Museum's exciting Art of Storytelling project. "Queen's Closet" inspired an integration of art and mystery with the history and music of Henry VIII.

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