little_miss_sunnydale
Anne Boleyn, late sixteenth-century
Portrait of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second queen consort and mother of Elizabeth I. The portrait is by an unknown artist, British school, and dates to the late sixteenth-century (during the reign of her daughter). It is inscribed ‘ANNA BOLLINA VXOR HEN viii’ (Anne Boleyn, wife of Henry VIII).
According to Eric Ives
“This painting is an example of the standard likeness of Anne and probably belonged to one of the sets of royal portraits that English gentry liked to display in order to demonstrate loyalty. The likeness corresponds to the only contemporary likeness of Anne, a portrait medal in the British Museum, London, and is confirmed by comparison with a tiny enamel of her, owned by Elizabeth I, now at Chequers. Thus this portrait must ultimately derive from a lost originally taken from life. Other examples of the standard likeness give Anne a more sallow complexion, something noted by her contemporaries, so indicating that this portrait has been somewhat ‘glamorized’, a process that is taken further in subsequent copies. Anne’s allure came from her personality, education and style, not from her good looks.”
The portrait is currently display at the “Henry VIII: Man and Monarch” exhibit at the British Library.
Anne Boleyn, late sixteenth-century
Portrait of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second queen consort and mother of Elizabeth I. The portrait is by an unknown artist, British school, and dates to the late sixteenth-century (during the reign of her daughter). It is inscribed ‘ANNA BOLLINA VXOR HEN viii’ (Anne Boleyn, wife of Henry VIII).
According to Eric Ives
“This painting is an example of the standard likeness of Anne and probably belonged to one of the sets of royal portraits that English gentry liked to display in order to demonstrate loyalty. The likeness corresponds to the only contemporary likeness of Anne, a portrait medal in the British Museum, London, and is confirmed by comparison with a tiny enamel of her, owned by Elizabeth I, now at Chequers. Thus this portrait must ultimately derive from a lost originally taken from life. Other examples of the standard likeness give Anne a more sallow complexion, something noted by her contemporaries, so indicating that this portrait has been somewhat ‘glamorized’, a process that is taken further in subsequent copies. Anne’s allure came from her personality, education and style, not from her good looks.”
The portrait is currently display at the “Henry VIII: Man and Monarch” exhibit at the British Library.