Today’s #PortraitTuesday treat is a 19th century painting of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn by Irish born Australian artist G.F. Folingsby (1828-1891).
It’s called “First Meeting Between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn” and is an oil on canvas painting. It was painted in 1879 and is in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia.
What do you think of it?
This painting I find exciting because I have never seen it before and just goes to show how their love story fascinated people over the centuries, of course great love stories have always inspired poems and works of art, Shakespeare himself wrote his play ‘Henry V111’ and I have often wondered what his patron and queen, Elizabeth thought of that, this painting which is in Australia being painted over a hundred years ago by an Irish Australian artist depicts a rather large Henry bowing over a very young Anne Boleyn, it is not very lifelike to me as we know Anne was no fledgling teenager when she arrived at court, but a much older sophisticated lady and the king was still quite lean and muscly, her headdress I find strange almost oriental or Indian, maybe there was a play put on at court and she was part of it, she holds the lute in her hands,and her head is turned downwards, it is a lovely painting and a joy to look at, I very much look forward to these portrait Tuesdays Claire, thank you.