Abstract
Surely trauma – whether sustained in training, joust, or battle – must be considered as a potential cause of Richard III's apparent shoulder irregularity? 1 He had trained as a knight from boyhood, and fought in several battles from his teens onward: he was wounded at least once, at Barnet in 1471. Intermittent pain or discomfort from an old wound could have caused him to carry himself awkwardly at times, but not constantly – which may explain why some people noticed unevenness and others did not, and why there is disagreement as to which shoulder was affected. Clearly, he had no disability severe enough to hinder his fighting abilities.
As to his portraits, the 16th-century copyists were attempting to create an illusion of perspective, with varying degrees of competence. In the Society of Antiquaries portrait, Richard's left shoulder (viewer's right) is closer to the foreground, with his right shoulder receding. The reverse is true of the mirror-image Royal Collections and National Portrait Gallery portraits. The shoulder nearest the foreground appears raised, because the artists are attempting to convey a sense of depth, with the sitter at an angle to the viewer. Shoulder-lines in other copied portraits, such as those of Edward IV and Henry VI, are also awkwardly executed. In Richard's case, deficiencies in perspective were augmented to create an exaggerated ‘deformity’.
Also regarding trauma: the cleaning of the Society of Antiquaries portrait has restored the line of Richard's mouth and upper lip. 2 In all his portraits, the set of his mouth suggests to me that he may lack front teeth, perhaps from a blow or from being unhorsed. Has anyone else noticed this?
Footnotes