10:24 am
June 15, 2012
Claire posted this pic of Anne on Facebook, and it’s got me a little hot under the collar. It’s a Victorian miniature, quite pretty, by Henry Pierce Bone, painted in 1835. But the tantalising thing is the inscription on the back – “Original by Holbein in the collection of Josh Neeld Esq MP”.
Now obviously we don’t know of any Holbein portrait of Anne that looks anything like this, but apparently one still existed as late as 1835 in a private collection. What could have happened to it I wonder? Maybe it still exists in the collection of someone who just doesn’t know how many people would be desperately interested in it.
As a comparison, this is his portrait of Jane Seymour, which is obviously taken from the still existing Holbein (although he’s prettied her up considerably!)…which tends to bear out the claim that the Anne picture is also copied from one of his. Just imagine – this little Victorianised miniature may be the closest thing we currently have to the real Anne Boleyn!
12:50 pm
January 3, 2012
As it goes Gill I feel the likeness of Anne painted by John Hoskins is perhaps the closest to what Anne would have looked like. If you look at it you can see a little of K.H in it too and kind of understand why Henry fell for KH. Most of the accepted portraits of Anne to me at least, that the artist’s have been a little to liberal with their paintbrushes. The accepted Portrait for Mary Boleyn, and Anne Boleyn, have the appearence that they are in no way related to each other. In Hoskins Portrait at least you can see there is a faint resemblence of Mary in the features.
Holbien’s portraits although a good painter always seem quite harsh in the way he has portrayed his subject. Hoskins has a somewhat softer appearence and that is a much more attractive to me.
Holbien was also know to be extremely liberal when it came to portrait painting as his portrait of AOC proved. Henry fell in lust with that portrait, however when AOC and Henry came face to face, the illusion Henry had of AOC was shattered, and poor old Cromwell was the one who suffered Henry’s wrath. I always felt that was very unfair because if anyone was to blame for Henry’s shattered Illusions it was Holbien.
Semper Fidelis, quod sum quod
1:24 pm
January 3, 2012
Having had a good look at the the portrait that Gill has posted. I actually feel it’s possible it could well be K.H. Something in the look at the face gives me the impression the the sitter is of late teens early 20’s.
The high collar style of dress came in later in the reign of Henry and there are several portraits of K.P wearing this style of dress. There is also something of the Howard look in this portrait. How I detest Thomas Howard the vacuous jumped up prat.
Semper Fidelis, quod sum quod
7:25 pm
June 7, 2011
The hood the sitter is wearing is also of a later period, I agree that it could be Kathryn Howard.
We now have the reconstruct medal of Anne, to give us an idea of how Anne looked. I will experiment with it and try to make it into a ‘portrait’ image of her, with the base of the image this evening.
"It is however but Justice, & my Duty to declre that this amiable Woman was entirely innocent of the Crimes with which she was accused, of which her Beauty, her Elegance, & her Sprightliness were sufficient proofs..." Jane Austen.