Thanks to Henry VIII, The Tudors, Anne of a Thousand Days and countless, COUNTLESS films and books we are all being led to believe that (with the possible exception of Anne of Cleves, although the jury is still out on what ACTUALLY happened there) that Henry VIII’s six wives were HOT STUFF.
Could it be that the truth is very different? Now, I don’t know about you but I am guessing that Henry didn’t go for personality over looks so surely they must at least have been FAIRLY attractive?
A display of rare portraits (rare being art history speak for ‘rarely seen’) at the recent Henry’s Women exhibition at Hampton Court Palace would seem to suggest otherwise.
Katherine of Aragon by an unknown artist, 1530s.
Anne Boleyn by an unknown artist, possibly contemporary.
Jane Seymour by one of the ‘Cast Shadow Workshop’, c 1536.
Anne of Cleves by Barthel Bruyn, 1530s.
Catherine Howard, probably a copy of a contemporary work by Holbein. This painting is interesting because it was originally identified as being of Catherine Howard but then this was rejected in the last century and it was decided that it either depicted Henry VIII’s niece Margaret Douglas or one of Jane Seymour’s sisters. However, opinion would appear to have swung in the opposite direction thanks to its close resemblance to the only known likenesses of Katherine.
Katherine Parr by an unknown artist, probably contemporary.
I didn’t pick the portraits featured in the exhibition at Hampton Court Palace! If they don’t fit in with your idea of how Henry VIII’s wives looked or have a spurious provenance then take it up with the curators there, don’t get cross with me! I just thought they were interesting and unusual choices and wanted to share them with my blog readers! :)
