I think the paitings are good illustrations of the life back then and what makes them alive is the ammount of detail (from RL) in it; however what struck me the most is how difficult it really was to paint in that time! Most of the time they painted directly with ink, without sketching first, and that's very very difficult! The lines are very clear, which shows the painter needs a doctor-like steady hand... Just remembering the king's portraid makes me tired, no wonder both of the artists almost fainted.