#PortraitTuesday – An Anne Boleyn portrait with weird eyes

Posted By on July 4, 2023

Late 16th/early 17th century portrait of Anne BoleynThis week’s #PortraitTuesday portrait is a strange one of Anne Boleyn from the National Portrait Gallery collection.

This Anne Boleyn portrait is by an unknown artist and is dated to 1597-1618, and is oil on panel.

If you zoom in on it on the National Portrait Gallery website, you can see how beautifully painted the pearls are on the French hood and on the necklace, yet the face is awful, in my opinion.

Just what is going on with Anne Boleyn’s eyes in this portrait?

OK, so I couldn’t have painted it that well, but this portrait always makes me think of the 82-year-old Spanish lady who in 2012 tried to restore a fresco of Jesus (see below) in her local church and failed miserably!

Badly restored Spanish fresco of Jesus

2 thoughts on “#PortraitTuesday – An Anne Boleyn portrait with weird eyes”

  1. Christine says:

    I agree I saw this portrait a few years ago and couldn’t believe how ugly the artist made poor Anne look, she has an elongated chin and a long very sharp nose, her mouth is mulish looking, and the eyes wonky, a disgusting portrait indeed, had Anne ever seen this I’m sure she would have told Henry to lop the artists head of !

  2. Christine says:

    Also her legendary slender neck is rather thick

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