I’ve recently been reading about this Unknown Lady featured in the “Somerley Portrait”. Would it be remiss, or even a little naive of me to consider the sitter may be Catherine Carey, aka Henry’s bastard daughter with Mary Boleyn on the event of her marriage in 1540?? It was obviously executed by an italian artist, or someone who has clearly been trained in the italian fashion, it is far more romantic, and the pose clearly denotes italian style of the time. Perhaps it was by Bartolemeo Penni, not Luca. It seems a little extreme, but when you think about what was going on at court at that time, Catherine would have been lady in waiting at court, I believe it was the year of her marriage, perhaps it was commisioned by Anne of Cleves who had earlier that year married Henry (great speculation again) perhaps Catherine being young and idealistic had told her new boss of her lineage, or at least told her she was the neice of Anne Boleyn, that her family had suffered due to the Kings folly. Perhaps it was commisioned by someone else entirely. Penni was at Henry’s court at this time, and he was not much more than an artist used for lesser things, as opposed to Holbien, although it is said that Holbien was out of court around that time for a little while in france sorting out his work visa. If you look at the other portriat well known as Catherine there are similarities. It’s just a thought? Her mother spent alot of time in France, she may have favoured french fashions, maybe she even had a soft spot at that age for old aunty anne and her love of all things french. It’s just an idea anyway….then again perhaps it is a french painting of a french lady brought over after the french revolution and given a back story and the claim of it being Lady Jane Grey was simply so the painting would be sold at profit, and the people who have it now don’t know any different…