The Leonardo queue...
December 22 2011
Picture: BG
...gets longer and longer. This morning it started in Trafalgar Square, then snaked up behind the Sainsbury Wing, before coming back on itself and then continuing inside. If you're having to queue to for tickets, follow my earlier advice and buy the catalogue first; by the time you get to front you'll be fully prepared for the exhibition. It's either that or at least two chapters of War & Peace...
Wedgwood museum - a rescue emerges (via Twitter)?
December 22 2011
Picture: lgfl.org.uk
John Caudwell, the founder of Phones4U, has said on Twitter that he would be prepared to buy the Wedgwood museum's collection to prevent its being broken up.* Good for him. He said:
I passionately believe that the collection should remain intact and in place, and available for public viewing. If the Trustees don’t find any other way of solving the issue, then I will attempt to buy the entire collection and keep it n situ for the foreseeable future, and continue with public access. This would be subject, of course, to the outcome of any discussions with Administrators, and input of the Trustees.
No numbers have been mentioned yet as to how much it would cost him to buy the collection. The pension pot hole is £134m. Maybe (but I don't know) the collection is worth more than this (the paintings alone are worth a handy sum), so perhaps not all of it needs to be sold off.
* as I learnt via Twitter's antiques king, Steven Moore.
Hepworth theft
December 22 2011
Picture: AFP
A curious article in The Guardian today from Zoe Williams, who, it seems, struggled when her editor said 'give me 800 words on what the Hepworth theft means'. She thinks it points to a wider malaise in society, and blames, in part, the free market:
When you throw someone into the mix who doesn't care that a statue's true value is £500,000, and cares still less about its emotional value to the community, and will trash all that for £1,500, that person has a lot of power. It's caring that makes you weak.
The reason this is such a blow at this peculiar time is that the free market – the fundamental understanding of society where we exchange time for money and money for stuff and everybody wins – isn't working out. There is a full spectrum of explanations for the failure. On the right, it's because governments interfered, over-regulated, overdid the handouts and overspent. On the left, it's because government privatised, outsourced, didn't regulate, and created a corporate plutocracy by failing to protect wages, grouting the gaps with benefits and ultimately subsidising super-profits. There are centrist arguments that blame the legerdemain of financial instruments – just one giant, apolitical "oops".
Sadly, people have been stealing and vandalising art since the year dot, and will continue to do so. Probably the same section of society that does not care whether something is beautiful or historically important is the same as that which cannot empathise with their fellow man. Call it cultural pyschopathy. It has taken many forms throughout history; one is iconoclasm.
Meanwhile, a reader writes with a further suggestion on how to deal with the current problem of melting sculptures for scrap:
Re your point about scrap metal thieves, I agree entirely with everything you write. Here's one additional point, though, not least because you clearly have plenty of experience of the policy world, and the importance of framing these things properly from the start.
The theft of scrap metal or indeed 'architectural salvage' items from a listed property - something which, perforce, would include not only lead from church roofs, but also lots of things which do end up stolen and sold - e.g. pews, lecterns, statues, light fixtures, door handles, sinks, fire surrounds, you name it - ought to be considered an aggravating factor when it comes to sentencing in criminal court. This is both (a) easily defined and (b) covers a lot of serious problems currently afflicting heritage properties, both ecclesiastical and secular, at least some of these involving what might reasonably be regarded as works of art.
Sounds eminently sensible to me.
The Vermeer effect
December 22 2011
Picture: Louvre
In case you haven't seen it yet, Vermeer's Women at the Fitzwilliam Museum closes on 15th January. The exhibition has drawn record crowds, with 130,000 people filing past the Louvre's Lacemaker since October. It has been so popular that the opening times have been extended for the last two weeks of the show.
Help stop the scrap metal thieves
December 21 2011
Picture: Rob Fitzpatrick
Following the Hepworth theft yesterday, a reader writes:
It was sad to read today on your excellent website of yet another theft of public sculpture -- probably, as you rightly imply in your commentary, for its scrap-metal value only. Perhaps you might alert readers of Art History News to a current, and laudable, e-petition which seeks an 'amendment to the Scrap Metal Merchants Act 1964' by prohibiting cash transactions on the part of scrap-metal dealers and making 'payment by cheque or directly into a bank account mandatory'. This would be a significant factor in reducing metal theft. The e-petition, which needs 100,000 signatories in order to be considered for debate in Parliament,has already passed the half-way mark:
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/406
If only the tragedy of the Wedgwood Museum could be averted by an e-petition!
Please do sign it. Another possibility is to make it a particular crime to wilfully damage works of cultural importance. So x months in jail for nicking a bollard for scrap, but longer for works of art, or lead from a church roof. I believe they do this in Australia.
Hepworth sculpture nicked
December 20 2011
From Dulwich Park on Tuesday. There's a £1000 reward for its return. But it's probably been melted down for scrap already...
Dictator Art - Kim Jong Il special
December 20 2011
Picture: Kim Jong Il Looking at Things
Regular readers will know that I'm strangely fascinated by totalitarian art. And it doesn't come much more interesting and bizarre than that in North Korea. All dictatorships rely on artists for propoganda, but probably none more so than the Hermit Kingdom. The lack of computers and printing equipment means that the state has to employ thousands of artists to produce the endless posters, sculptures and paintings needed to glorify Kim Jong Il's regime.
Almost all the posters one sees in North Korea, for example, are painted by hand, usually by artists sitting in large rooms endlessly copying the same master image, like a human printing press. North Korea probably has the highest proportion of artists per head of population in the world. The largest artistic centre is the Mansudae Art Studio*, which employs about 4,000 people, and was until his recent funny turn under 'the special guidance' of Kim Jong Il himself.
Not surprisingly, 'socialist realism' is the order of the day. Consequently most oil paintings tend to be highly detailed, colourful and stylised depictions of happy workers, or North Korea's often beautiful landscape. Much of it is technically quite proficient, if a little surreal.
There's quite a market for North Korean art in the west. If you think it will one day boom llike Chinese art (and you have no qualms about your money potentially helping to prop up the regime), then get in early and stock up before prices rise. One of the places you can be sure of buying the real thing is the Galleria, in Pall Mall, London. Their website explains why North Korean art is so unlike anything else:
Art from this hermit country has not yet been influenced by outside politics or normal world contemporary art trends. It is still pure North Korean art, artist have very little contact with other countries and their artwork is kept within the Juche political philosophy that they follow.
All artists in North Korea are State employees, registered as members of the Korean artists Federation (Misulga Tongmaeng) and receive monthly salaries for which they are expected to produce a number of works; some artists work on location others in the Art Studio. Both would be expected to work regularly and to have 2hour daily periods of study or discussion with regular reports and evaluations of their work.
There is no question of a solo exhibition in North Korea, but small group exhibitions do take place on national holidays and special anniversaries, modern art is included in displays in the National Gallery and the University Museum as well as in public offices.
You can see more examples here, and here.
*site currently not working.
View from the Artist no. 7 - answer
December 20 2011
Picture: Rijksmuseum
Sorry that the first clue was a little tricky. An early answer:
Gut reaction... AVERCAMP??? Somewehre Dutch? Amsterdam/ Hague??? (Surey it's not London with a church like that?)
Indeed not. Right country though. Another guess had Avercamp again:
I'm going to have a stab and suggest the picture is by Hendrick Avercamp, subject is Haarlem. Although many of Avercamp's works feature windmills and lots of people playing kolf, but then the figures do have quite a strong outline to them...
The competition is a good distraction from PhD work, yet sufficiently art historical to not feel too guilty about procrastinating!
Alas, wrong answer, but delighted to have taken you away from your studies. The extra clue brought in some correct answers, the fastest coming within about half an hour of me putting it on the site:
Indeed, the first clue was too difficult for me, especially because I’m not familiar with Flemish landscape artists. But now that you provided the second detail, I am able to give you the answer: Sebastian Vrancx, The Kranenhoofd on the Schelde. The Rijksmuseum online database dates it to 1622.
Another sleuth wrote:
Sebastian Vrancx, The Kranenhoofd on the Schelde, Antwerp, 1622. Such a wonderful winter-painting, it makes you want to jump right into the scenery! I really enjoy your blog!
Thanks! You can indeed jump in thanks to the Rijksmuseum's marvellous new, free, high resolution digital photos. The best clue was the single spire of Antwerp Cathedral on the left. Well done everyone.
Wedgwood museum collection will be sold
December 19 2011
Picture: Wedgwood Museum
The incomparable Wedgwood Museum, the country's pre-eminent pottery museum, will now almost certainly be closed down and its collection sold off. The High Court has ruled that the collection is an asset that effectively belongs to the Wedgwood company pension fund, which has a £134 million deficit.
The collection was never intended to be used as an asset this way. But a balls-up when drafting the original legal framework for the museum meant that the collection would potentially be at risk if the Wedgwood company went bust, which it did in 2009. The whole situation might have been avoided if someone had hired a good lawyer at the time.
It's not just pottery that will be sold. The museum has a fine collection of paintings, including a group portrait of the Wedgwood family by George Stubbs.
Our best source of acquisitions - death
December 19 2011
Picture: National Gallery
Details of this year's Acceptance-in-Lieu scheme have been released. Almost £20m worth of cultural treasures, including the above Rubens sketch The Triumph of Venus (at £4.4m), have been accepted by the UK government in place of inheritance tax. Invitations to be allocated the Rubens are now being sought. So if you've got a Rubens hole in your museum collection, apply now.
I've always found it curious that the government will automatically acquire a pre-eminent work of art for the nation if it comes from someone who's dead, but not if they are alive. But there it is. To see some of the other works acquired this way, click here.
View from the artist no.7, another clue...
December 19 2011
Tut tut, a woeful response to the latest 'View from the Artist' competition. No correct guesses at all! Though most of you are in the right country. So here's another glimpse from the same painting, this time with more notable surviving landmarks.
That newly discovered Frith
December 19 2011
Picture: Christie's
Made £505,000 at auction (inc. premium).
Coming soon at Dulwich - Van Dyck in Sicily
December 19 2011
Video: Dulwich Picture Gallery
An exhibition bringing together all the works by Van Dyck from his time in Palermo. I literally cannot wait. Here's Xavier Solomon giving a sneak preview. Opens 15th February 2012.
Le Moyne discovered at English public school
December 19 2011
Picture: National Gallery/Winchester College
An Annunciation by Francois Le Moyne, previously thought to be lost, has been discovered at Winchester College. It was previously known through an engraving, and is now on loan to the National Gallery. Full details at Tribune de L'Art.
BP maintains sponsorship of the arts
December 19 2011
Good news for the arts in Britain - BP will continue its support for the British Museum, Tate Britain, The Royal Opera House and the National Portrait Gallery with £10m over the next five years. This comes despite the curious news last week that the Tate was 'reviewing' whether it should deign to accept the cash. From Tuesday's Guardian:
Tate's director, Sir Nicholas Serota, has said it will decide whether to renew the contract with BP "quite soon". This month he was presented with a petition from 8,000 Tate members and visitors organised by the pressure groups Platform, Liberate Tate and Art Not Oil. Serota said: "You'll not be surprised to learn that the whole question of the support from BP has exercised trustees quite seriously over the past two years. Both the trustees as a board, but also the trustees through their ethics committee, which was instituted about four years ago, have looked very carefully at the question."
The phrase 'don't look a gift horse in the mouth springs to mind' here, especially in these austere times...
Happy birthday Katherine of Aragon
December 16 2011
Picture: Philip Mould Ltd
The happy coincidence of it being Katherine of Aragon's birthday today*, and the recent sale at Christie's of a portrait of her, allows me to continue my impromptu feast of art historical Tudoriana. The portrait above was found by Philip Mould in 2004 in a minor auction, where it was thought to be a much later copy of a miniature by Lucas Hornebolte. Last week it was sold again by a client of ours at Christie's, where it made a healthy £151,000. It's one of my favourite Tudor portraits, full of symbolism, and we borrowed it for our 'Lost Faces' exhibition in 2006.
The Christie's catalogue summarised the meaning of the picture very well:
...the marmoset is shown reaching for the cross on the Queen's breast, rather than for the proferred coin. In addition to the obvious allegory of the choice of spiritual virtues over worldly gain, the gesture has been interepreted as reflecting the circumstances of the later years of the Queen's marriage to King Henry VIII, during which the King sought various means of ending the marriage, including offering her money; her steadfastness was explained by her piety.
However, I've always though there may be an extra dimension to this picture. Why? Because the coin being rejected by the monkey is clearly an English coin, in this case a groat (as you can see if you zoom in on it). And on the other side of a groat, as you can see below, is a portrait of Henry VIII. The portrait of Katherine may therefore be seen not only as her rejection of riches in favour of faith, but of Henry himself. In which case, it is one of the most daring images of the Tudor period.
Picture: BG
Update: By the way, the groat on the left is from Henry VII's reign. You can see how Henry VIII's frequent debasing of the currency resulted in his groats, on the right, shrinking.
*with thanks to TudorTutor for alerting me to this.
104,000 down, 96,000 to go...
December 16 2011
Picture: Your Paintings / National Trust
The fabulous folks at the Public Catalogue Foundation are over half way through putting the nation's oil paintings online for us to enjoy for free. They've just finished uploading another 40,000 since the project went live earlier this year, including the above landscape by Thomas Gainsborough in the collection of the National Trust.
When the project is completed, Britain will be the first nation in the world to have our entire publicly owned collection of oil paintings online. How cool is that? And how lucky are we? It's all been done for free, with no government support. We owe a debt of thanks to the PCF, its director Andrew Ellis, and the man who came up with the idea in the first place, Dr Fred Hohler. More details on the latest milestone here. There's still a way to go, however, and the PCF needs to raise the final funding for it - to do your bit, please donate here.
More Tudor stuff
December 16 2011
Picture: Royal Collection
Thanks for all your feedback from the Anne Boleyn post yesterday. It's interesting that although we first published the research in 2006, it made little wider impact, mainly I suppose because it never went online (and because the news story publicising it is behind The Times paywall). These days, unless something is online, it doesn't really happen!
So, now I'm going to publish some more of our Tudor research online. And this time we're going hardcore. Below the jump is the full transcribed inventory of Catherine Howard's jewels, from the manuscript in the British Library. It's a great resource for anyone interested in the period. We commissioned the transcription from Tudor historian extraordinaire Alasdair Hawkyard, and it was first published in our exhibition catalogue for 'Lost Faces: Identity & Discovery in Royal Tudor Portraiture'. It now goes online for the first time. The inventory was compiled by Nicholas Bristowe, who was clek of the King's wardrobes.
Why is the inventory useful for art historians? Because it may allow us to identify Catherine's portrait, long a source of contention. Above is a miniature by Holbein in the Royal Collection. Its early history is uncertain, but when it was first certainly recorded in the Royal Collection in c.1837, it was called Catherine. It was engraved by Houbraken as her in 1743. Earlier than that and we have no certain reference to it. In the later 20th Century the identity was questioned, and dropped. Then David Starkey, in his Six Wives of Henry VIII, resurrected the idea based on the inventory of Catherine's jewels. David was guest Curator of our Lost Faces exhibition, and so we decided to publish the full inventory.
Each of the jewels seen in the miniature can be found in the inventory. For example, on her head her French hood is trimmed with the 'upper habulyment of Goldesmytheswerke ennamuled and garneshed with vij ffeyr daimondes vij ffeir rubyes and vij ffeyr Perles' which is the first item listed in the inventory. On her bossom, over a translucent chemise, she wears a shaped necklace called a square 'conteynyng xxix rubyes and xxix clustres of Peerlles being iiij peerlles in every Clustre' and an 'ooche [that is a pendant] of golde hauyng averey ffeir table diamond and a verey feir ruby with a long peerle hangyng at the same'.
Coincidence? The same argument has been used to identify the full-length portrait of Katherine Parr in the National Portrait Gallery, which had previously been called Jane Grey. All the jewels seen in that portrait are in the inventory of Katherine Parr's jewels. The Royal Collection online catalogue is still cautious about the attribution of the miniature, however, citing the uncertain early provenance of the work, and the possibility that royal jewels were lent to other ladies at court, who may have been painted by Holbein wearing them. Jewels were indeed lent, but I find it hard to accept that a lady-in-waiting, say, would scoop the jackpot with an entire outfit of royal loans of such importance and value - and then have the impertinence to be seen wearing the King's jewels. As you can see from the inventory below, those royal jewels that were sent out to ladies of the court tend to be the lesser ones. Also, there is something decidedly queenly about the miniature above - in fashion, jewels and approach it is far more sumptuous that any other Holbein miniature of a lady at court. So, for me, she's Catherine Howard. What do you think?
[If on the homepage, click 'Read on' for the full inventory].
BL, Stowe 559, ff. 55-68
[This transcript attempts to convey the layout of the original document. Additions in a different hand made by Nicholas Bristowe (or his staff) appear in italic.]
f. 55]
Hereafter ensueth certeyn Juelles of sundry natures giuen by the kinges Majestie unto Quene Katheryne his most derest wif at the tyme of the solemnisation of Their graces marriages: and delyvered in charge by his graces commaundment by Nicholas Bristowe his hignes clercke to Anne Herbert saufly to kepe the same: mense Julij anno regni dicti domini Regis xxxijdo
All which Juelles the said Mrs Harbert redelyvered in to thandes and custody of Mrs Tyrwyt at Ampthill at the kinge being there in September anno regni sui xxxijdo and afterwarde in december dicti anno xxijdo at hamptoncourte the kinges grace being there the said Mrs Tyrwyt ageyn redelyvered all the Juelles herafter ensuyng in to thandes chaulf custody and charge of the seid Mrs Harbert who is charged with the same Juelles by this booke
habulymentes
1 First an upper habulyment of Goldesmytheswerke ennamuled and garnesshed with vij ffeyr daimondes vij ffeir rubyes and vij ffeyr Perles/
2 Item annether habulyment of Goldesmythes werke garnesshed with viij ffeir diamondes viij ffeir Rubyes and xvj peerles/
3 Item the Turnyng up of the foresaid habulymentof goldesmythes worke garnesshed with xj diamondes and lij Rubyes/
4 Item another upper habulymnet conteyning or garenesshed with xviij diamondes Tablettes/ and Cxiiij feir peerlles standing by vj machistes one of the stones altreth in setting/
N Bristowe
f. 55v]
Yet habulimentes
5 Item an nother upper habulyment garnesshed with viij feire diamondes ix rubyes and xxxij Peerlles
6 Item an other upper habulyment conteignyng Cv ffeir peerlles/ and xxij ffeir Rubyes
7 Item an other upper habulyment contignyng iiiixx x peerlles and xix peces of Goldesmytheswerke/
8 Item a nether habulyment conteyning Cxij peerlles set lyke True loves with liiij beades of golde black ennamuled
N Bristowe
Hablimentes given by the kinges grace at Hamptoncourte at newe yerestyde anno xxxijdo domini Regis
9 Item one upper habulyment conteignyng vij diamondes and vij Rubyes/
10 Item a turnyng up of the same habulyment conteignyng ix diamondes and lv rubyes
11 Item anether habulyment conteignyng ix diamondes ix rubyes/ and xix peerlles/ and also iiij diamondes and xij rubyes in the Cheke of the same habulyment
N Bristowe
f. 56]
Squares & Carcanes
1 ffirst one Carcane for the neck of Goldesmytheswerke wherein is set in golde
vj verey feir table diamondes and v verey ffeire Rubyes and betwixt every of the same stones is two feire Peerlles conteignyng in the whole – xxiiij/
2 Itme one Square of Goldesmytheswerke conteignyng xxvij table diamondes and xxvj Cluster of peelles being vj in every Cluster
3 Item one Square conteynyng xxix rubyes/ and xxix clustres of Peerlles being iiij peerlles in every Clustre/
4 Item one other Square conteignyng iiiixx xj feire large peelles only
Margin: [T]he goldesmythesworke of [th]e said two Squares [i]s put in to broken golde [b]y the quene
4 Item one other Square conteignyng xxxix peces of Golde smytheswerke/ and
xxxix peerlles/
Item one other Square conteignyng xxij peces of Goldesmythes worke ennamuled blewe/ and xlviij peerled by twoes/
5 Item one Carcane conteignyng vj feir table diamondes & v rubyes set in golde/ and xij ffeire peerlles hangyng in the same
6 Item one other Carcane conteignyng x verey feir diamondes set in Goldesmythes wercke/ and xij Cluster of peerles lykeyse set being iiij in every Cluster in toto in peerles xliiijti
7 Item one other Carcane for the necke conteignyng thre verey ffeire diamondes/ three verey feire Emeraldes and set in Goldesmytheswerke with xx feire peerles in the same by two peerlles betwixt every stone/
N Bristowe
f. 56v]
8 Item one other Carcan for the necke conteignyng vij Rubyes and vi Peerles all set in Goldesmytheswerke/
Margin: x of the same diamondes set in a Sipher by the quene which the king hath taken in to his handes mense novembris anno regni sui xxxiij
9 Item one Partelet or collor conteignyng xvj diamondes xx Rubyes/ and lxv peerles/ all set in Goldesmythesworke ennamuled hauyng a verey small Cheyne of golde upon thedge of the same
10 Item one other carcane for the neck of Goldesmythesworke conteignyng vij diamondes and vj Rubyes the golde ennamuled blewe betwixt every stone/
N Bristowe
Given by the king at hamptoncourte at newe yerestyde anno xxxijdo domini Regis
11 Item one Square conteignyng xxxiij diamondes and lx rubyes with an Edge of peerll conteignyng – cxxiij
N Bristowe
f. 57]
Stones & Perlles
1 Item two laces conteignyng xvij ffeir table diamondes and Clviij ffeir peerles
2 Item two other laces conteignyng xxxi Table Rubyes and vjxx xvi ffeir peerlles/
3 Item one lace conteignyng xix ffeir diamondes set in goldesmythewerke betwixt every of theym a Cluster of peerles of vij perles the pece in the whole – Cxl peerles
4 Item vij small diamondes and viij small rubyes all set in a long pece of goldesmytheswerke ennamuled blewe & grene and xiiij peerles lykwys set upon the same goldesmtheswerke all tyed upon a lase of Sylke/
5 Item xvj diamondes set in goldesythesworke/ the worke all of one fasshon the stones of dyvers sortes/ being loose/
6 Item two litle Table diamondes set in lenger peces of goldesmythesworcke/
7 Item oone Rubye set in goldesmythesworcke in alonge pece/
viij Item one other pece of goldesmythesworcke wherin is two rock rubyes and one peerle/
9 Item xviij peces of goldesmythesworcke in every wherof are two peerlles set/
10 Item two roopes of peerles conteignyng both together lxv feir peerles and oone litle pece of goldesmytheswerke betwixt every of theym
11 Item iiij Roopes of feir large perle conteignyng in the whole/ Cclij
12 Item oone roope of smaller perle conteignyng – iiijxx x perles
13 Item two laces of meane peerll in bignes conteignyng both together – Cxxxvij peerlles
N Bristowe
f. 57v]
Gyven to the quene at hampton courte by the kinges grace mense decembris anno regni sui xxxijdo
14 Item one rope of ffeyre large peerll conteyning – cc peerlles
N Bristow
Given to the quene at hamptocourte by the kinges grace mense Januarij anno xxxviijdo Regni sui
15 Item a mufler of black veluet furred with Sabilles conteignyng xxxviij rubyes/ and vclxxij peerlles/ betwixt euery rowe certeyn small cheynes of golde/ with also a cheyne to hang the same mufler by conteignyng xxx peerlles
N Bristow
broochis oochis Crosses & hachis
1 Item oone ffeire Brooche of Golde ennamuled with white havyng abordre of antique boyes about the same with a verey ffeir square diamonde holden by aman whose coote and bootes are ennamuled with blewe/ and a king crowned with acepter in his hande at thone end thereof/ and v persones mo standing behynde the same with scriptures ouer their heddes with the kinges wordes undre the said brooche/
2 Item oone other Brooche of Golde ennamuled with black hauyng iiij naked men and a child stering a pott in which brooche are ix diamondes whereof thre be ffeire and threst but small/
3 Item oone other Brooche of golde ennamuled with black hauyng iij persones one of them being a woman with a bowe and an arrowe/ and v ffeir diamondes set in the same/ and oone rubye/
4 Item oone othe Brooche of Golde ennamuled wherein is a woman and a naked boy with a verey ffeir diamond
Margin: The same brooch geuen by the quene to the lady Surre
4 Item one othe Brooche of golde ennamuled black wherin is awoman and two Children of Camewe with vj verey small diamondes & xij verey small rubyes/
Margin: The same brooche geuen by the quene to the lady Elysabeth the kynges dowghter
4 Item oone other Brooche of Golde wherin is set an antique hed of agate vj very small Rubyes/ and vj verey small Emeraldes litle thing worthe
N Bristowe
f. 58v]
5 Item an Ooche of Golde wherin is a feir poynted diamonde and a verey feir ruby/ with averey feir peerle hangyng at the same/
6 Item oone other Ooche of Golde wherin is averey feir large ruby and a rounde diamond with a verey feir peerle hangyng at the same/
vij Item oone other ooche of golde hauyng averey ffeir table diamond and a verey feir ruby with a long peerle hangyng at the same/
8 Item one other ooche of Golde hauyng a verey feir table diamond and a ruby with a feir lose peerle to hange at the same/
9 Item oone other Ooche of golde ennamuled conteignyng one verey feir ballas and oone Emeralde with averey ffeir peerle hangyng at the same/
10 Item oone other ooche of golde conteignyng two verey ffeir rubyes/ and a verey feir Emeralds with averey feir perle hangyng at the same
Margin: without ffoyle
11 Item oone other ooche of golde conteignyng averey feir Emeralde holden by two antiquez/ and a ffeir diamond/ with a feir perle hangyng at the same/
12 Item one other ooche of Golde ennamuled conteignyng one rubye/ one Emeralde/ and one diamond all verey ffeir/ with a verey feir perle hangyng at the same/
13 Item oone other ooche of golde ennamuled white & red conteignyng two Emeraldes/ and a feyer perle hangyng at the same/
N Bristowe
f. 59]
Yet oochis crosses hachis & other Juells
Margin: with one ffoyles
14 Item one other oche of golde conteignyng one diamonde/ one Emeralde/ and one ruby/ with thre peerles hanging at the same/
15 Item one other ooche of golde wherin is averey ffeir diamond holden by two antiquez personz with averey ffeir peerle hangyng at the same/
Crosses
16 Item one Crosse of golde conteignyng v diamondes whereof two be poynted/ and threst squared/ hauyng also averey feir greate peerle hanging at the same/
17 Item one other Crosse of Golde ennamuled conteignyng v feir Table diamondes/ and one other verey feir lozenged diamond undre the same v/ with iiij verey feire peerlles hanging at the same in one Cluster/
18 Item oone other verey feir Crosse of golde conteignyng iiij verey feir large diamondes in acrosse/ with thre verey feir large peerlles hanging at the same/
19 Item oone other ffeir Crosse of golde conteignyng xij verey feir diamondes without any other addition/
Hachis
20 Item oone Hache of golde ennamuled blacke hauyng a verey ffeir Emeralde and a verey feir perle hanging at the same/
21 Item oone other hache of golde wherein is vj feir diamondes whereof iiij be table diamondes/ and two be poynted & a feir Emeralde in the myddes therof with also thre feir peerles hanging at the same/
N Bristowe
f. 59v]
Jehus & and other fflowers with a Ship & Rynges
Margin: Jehus
22 Item a Jehus of Golde garnesshed throughoute with diamondes That is to say xxxv peces greate and small/
23 Item one other Jehus of golde ennamuled conteignyng one Rubye/ xxiij diamondes/ and thre small Emeraldes with thre feir perles hanging at the same/
24 Item one fflower of golde being a rose of diamondes conteignyng xxij diamondes and thre peerlles hanging at the same/
25 Item one other fflower being a rose of diamondes conteignyng xv diamondes in peces/
26 Item a Ship of golde saylyng conteignyng one feir rubye in two ffysshes mouthes/ and xxix diamondes greate and small in the same Ship with affeir peerle hanging at the same/
27 Item oone ffloweer of golde conteignyng one ffeire ruby two ffeir diamondes/ and one feire Emeralde lozenged holden by two white birdes/ the same flower being crowned with xv diamondes in the same with also thre verey feir peerles hanging in the same/
28 Item one fflower deluce of golde conteignyng v ffeir diamondes/ with also affeir peerll hanging at the same/
29 Item xvj Rynges of golde in xj whereof be set xj diamondes in iiij/ be set iiij Rubyes/ and in one of them is an Emeralde
N Bristowe
f. 60]
Margin: Gyven by the king at the More mense Octobris anno regni sui xxxijdo
30 Item one broche of golde conteignyng xxxv small diamondes and xviij rubyes with thre persones and two horses in the same being the story of Noye
Margin: Gyven by the kyng at Hamptoncourte at Cristmasse anno xxxijdo
31 Item a Jehus of golde conteignyng xxxij diamondes hauyng thre peerlles hanging at the same/
32 Item a fflower of Golde wherein is a ffeyer diamond/ and thre feyer peerlles hanging at the same/
N Bristow
f. 60v]
[Blank]
f. 61]
Gurdilles
Margin: pro h
1 Item one Gurdell of goldesmytheswercke conteignyng xij diamondes and xij Rubyes with xxiiij peces of goldesmyth eswerke blacke ennamuled with litle prickes white ennamuled
Margin: pro h
2 Item one Gurdell of Goldesmytheswerke conteignyng xvij ffeir ballazes and xvij Clusters of peerles being iiij in every Cluster/
Margin: pro h
but xxiij diamondes
3 Item one other Gurdell of Goldesmytheswerke conteignyng xxxiiij diamondes poynted Tabled lozenged and squared of divers fashons set in golde/ with lxv peerlles/ viz betwixt every stone two peerles set in goldesmythesworke/
Margin: vacat pro tempore
4 Item one other Gurdell of goldesmythesworke conteignyng v verey ffeir Rooses of diamondes/ and two table diamondes lozenged/ and one rock Rubye
with xx large peerlles set in goldesmytheswerke by twoes
5 Item one other Gurdell of golde conteignyng xj pillors in euery pillor ix peerlles/ and lx lynkes of golde enna/ muled black furnesshed with rubyes/ that is to say one lynke hauyng two rubyes/ and another iiij rubyes and at eche ende of the same Gurdell is two other pillors square one with a whooke/ in which two pillors is vij rubyes/ hauyng also a bell of golde full furnesshed with rubyes/ That is to say xviij Rubyes/ with a great peerle upon the Top of the same/ and divers ffeir peerlles hanging in the bottome/
6 Item one Gurdell of golde conteignyng xviij lynkes of one sorte ennamuled grene and red and Cvij lynkes of golde ennamuled with divers collors hauyng abuttone of golde at thonende and ahook at thother
N Bristowe
f 61v]
Yet Gurdilles
vii Item oone Gurdell of golde conteignyng xii peces of one sorte and euery of the sames peces is vj Turquezes in the whole – lxxij Turquezes/ and in euery of the same peces is thre Rubyes in the whole – xxxvj rubyes/ and xxiiij peces of another fashon in euery pece being xv peerles small in the whole – iijclx perles/ with a buttone of golde wherein is two antiquemen and one woman white the same garnesshed with xiiij rocke rubyes and xv Turquezes/ hauyng also divers Tasselles of Peerll and small cheynes of golde/
8 Item one Gurdell of Goldesmytheswerke conteignyng xj diamondes ix Rubyes and xl peerlles by twoes betwyxt euery stone/
Margin: The same given by the quene to the lady Baynton at neweyerestyde anno xxxijdo domini regis for one gurdill
Item one Gurdell of Goldesmytheswerke conteignyng viij peces of one sorte and xv of another
Item oone other Gurdell of Goldesmythewerke conteignyng xi of one sorte and x of another
9 Item one other Gurdell of Goldesmytheswerke conteignyng xiij pypes and xiij doble cheynes of golde/ hauyng abuttone of golde ennamuled with dyvers small cheynes of golde hanging at it/
10 Item one other Gurdell of golde conteignyng xiij pypes and xiij cheynes of golde being doble & ennamuled white hauyng abuttone of golde ennamuled wherat hangeth dyvers small cheynes of golde with litle blewe knoppes/
11 Item oone other Gurdell of golde conteignyng xvj pypes of one fashon ennamuled and xvj of another ennamuled tyed together with lynkes of golde hauyng also abuttone of golde ennamuled/ with thre litle peerles/ and diuers small cheynes of gold hangyng at the the same
N Bristowe
f. 62]
Margin: Geven by the king at the More mense Octobris anno xxxijdo
12 Item oone Gurdell of Goldesmythewercke conteignyng xxiiij diamondes Tabled/ and xxiiij feir peerles
13 Item oone Gurdell of Goldesmytheswercke conteignyng xj rock rubyes and xxiij ffeir peerlles
N Britowe
14 Item oone Gurdell of golde whereof parte ar pomegarnettes parte pillors squared and parte ragged staves fully furnesshed with small rubyes and small diamondes hauyng a Tassell of peerlles
N Bristowe
Given by the king at Hamptoncourte at neweyeres tyde anno xxxijdo dicti domini Regis
Margin: pro b
15 Item one Gurdell of Golde conteignyng x diamondes xj rubyes/ and xxij peces of Goldesmytheswerke betwixte every stone/ one pece/
f. 62v]
[blank]
f. 63]
beades
Beades
1 Item oone peir of Beades of golde and agathe/ that is to say xxvj beadestones of golde ennamuled/ and xxiiij longstones of agathe at their endes garnesshed with golde and every agathe hath peerles hangyng at hym/ with also a pillor of golde ennamuled hauyng within the same pillor our Lady holdinge our Lorde and one litle peerle hangyng in the/ top of the same/ with affeir Tassell of fyne venice golde and diuers verey small peerlle vpon the same/
2 Item oone other peir of Beades whereof lvj beades be of golde and vj thereof be greater than threst/ and lvj feir large peerlles/ hauyng also a Tassell of venice golde/
3 Item oone other peir of Beades of Exilia conteignyng lxvj/ That is to say: vj greater than threst/ garnesshed with golde and amell/ hauyng a crosse of gold wherin is a pece of woode/
4 Item oone peir of Beades of agathe garnesshed with golde conteignyng xj betwixt every bead one peerle in the whole xij peerles/ hangyng therat a crosse of golde with the Crucifix on thone syde/ and our Lady holding our Lorde on thothersyde/ hauyng also a Tassell of golde/ and vj small peerlles hanging at the Crosse/
5 Item oone other peir of Beades of Sanguinaries garnesshed with golde/ and ennamuled/ conteignyng viij of the same beades/ betwixt euery of theym there
is two litle roundestones set in golde/ hauyng at thonende of theym a pillor
wrethed one abought another of blewe and purple ennamuled/ and thother ende affeir tassell of golde garnesshed with peerles/
N Bristowe
f. 63v]
Yet Beades
6 Item one peir of Beades of Golde ennamuled with Jes conteignyng of that sorte xix/ one of the jes is lacking/ and of another sorte vj with scriptures and garnesshed with red stones/ and betwixt euery of the same stones is alitle blewestone of golde smytheswercke/ hauyng also a Tassell of venice golde garnesshed with red stones/
7 Item oone peir of beades of white antiqueheddes garnesshed with golde with golde conteignyng xx/ and two of goldesmytheswerke of the other fasshon ennamuled set with red stones lyke rubyes/ hauyng affeir pillor of golde garnesshed with small peerles and small stones with also our Lorde our Lady and Seint John baptest/ and also a ffeir Tassell of purple Sylke and golde garnesshed with red stones/
8 Item oone peir of Beades of Blewestones called Lapis Lazarus fashoned lyke pottes garnesshed with golde/ that is to say of that sorte xxxti/ and of an other sorte being golde ennamuled with white and scriptures vj/ hauyng also a Tassell of venice golde with small beades of golde betwixt euery of the said xxxti/
9 Item oone other peir of Beades of blewestone lykewyse called Lapis Lazarus garnesshed with golde and euery of theym hauyng peerlles being of that sorte xxx/ and xxx beades of goldesmytheswercke of an other sorte ennamuled white/ hauyng a pillor of golde ennamuled blewe aand wrethed and vij verey small peerlles of the same sorte thise wordes/ Spes mea &c/ with also atassell of venice golde garnesshed with verey small peerles
N Bristowe
f. 64]
Yet Beades
10 Item one peire of Beades of grene glasse garnesshed with golde being of that sorte xxix/ and betwixt euery of them oone perle and one pece of goldesmythesworcke/ and x other stones of golde// smytheswercke ennamuled grene and garnesshed with rubyes hauyng also a pillor made of two grenestones and two peces of goldesmytheswercke and iiij peerlles garnesshed also with stones/ and also afeir Tassell of golde and red Sylke garnesshed with a call of peerle/
11 Item oone peire of beades of purple stones garnesshed with golde being xxx/ betwixt euery of them two litle beades of golde and vj greate beades of golde ennamuled/ hauyng also two tassellles of golde garnesshed with pretye peerle/
Margin: The same beades geven by the quene to the lady Elysabeth the kynges dowghter
Item oone peire of beades of purple stones garnesshed with golde being xxx/ betwixt euery of theym two litle beades of golde and vj greate beades of golde and vj greate beades of golde ennamuled/ hauyng also two tasselles of golde garenesshed with prety peerl/
Item oone other peir of Beades of golde/ that is to say/ x longe stones ennamuledwith white and garnesshed with peerle & redstones every of theym hauyng peerlles/ and x other stones ennamuled with blewe like cuppes/ hauyng also a pillor garnesshed with peerll and redstones/ and a buttone of golde and diuers small Cheynes of golde with black knoppes/
12 Item oone peir of Beades of Redstones conteignyng ix of them being garnesshed with golde/ and euery of them hauyng peerlles/ and betwixt them euery of them one beade of golde/ smytheswercke ennamuled/ and one peerll betwyxt every stone/ hauyng a pillor of golde at thende of the same wherin is a redstone and aman grauen upon the same an thonesyde of the same pillor/ and Adam and Eve of goldesmythesworcke on thother syde/ the same pillor garnesshed with verey small diamondes and rubyes lackyng thre stones
N Bristowe
f. 64v]
Yet Beades
13 Item oone peir of Beades of blewestones garnesshed with golde/ that is to say of the same stones xxijti and of goldesmytheswerke vj being ennamuled betwixt euery beade two litle redstones set in golde/ hauyng also a Tassell of venice golde/
14 Item oone other peir of Beades of red stones whereof xxxiij be set in golde lyke the fasshon of an hower Clocke/ and xlij set in goldesmytheswerck of bothendes/ and viij other Beades of golde of an other fasshon garnesshed with litle blewestones and ennamuled blacke and hauyng also a Tassell of venice golde/
15 Itme oone peir of Beades of Currall and blewe amell conteignnyng xxxij/ betwixt euery of them one litle pece of goldesmytheswerke ennamuled blewe/ and viij greate beades of golde ennamuled hauyng also a Tassell of venice golde/
16 Item oone peir of beades of purplestones being of them lxvij betwixt euery of them one pece of goldesmytheswerke ennamuled/ and viij feir beades ennamuledwhite blewe & grene with also a Tassell of venice golde/
Margin: The same peir of beades even by the Quene to the Lady Carew late Mrs Borrysageynst her Marriage
Item one peir of beades of Cristall garnesshed with golde being of them xl/ betwixt euery of them a pece of golde/ smytheswerke/ and viij beades of golde ennamuled blewe and set with stones/ hauyng also a pillor of Cristall with aman of golde in the same/ & with a tassell of venice golde/
N Bristowe
f. 65]
Yet Beades
17 Item oone peir of Beades of purplestones being of them xlviij betwixt euery of them a beade of golde/ and v greate beades of golde ennamuled/ hauyng also a Tassell of venice golde the buttone set with peerle/
18 Item oone peir of Beades of Golde hauyng Maydonsffaces being one fasshon lxiii/ and a larger sorte viij with lyke faces/ and one other Beade of golde of another fasshon/ hauyng also a ffeir Tassell of venice golde garnesshed with peerle/
peires of Beades - xxli
N Bristowe
Margin: Gyven by the kyng at More mense Octobris anno xxxijdo
19 Item oon peir of Beades of Currall garnesshed with golde and lytle peerles hanging at theym being of those beades xxxij/ and vj greate beades of golde ennamuled and with scriptures garnesshed with redstones hauyng also a Tassell of venice golde and peerle at thende/
Margin: Sent to the lady of Rutland for a Tokyn
Item a peir of beades of mother of peerll garnesshed with golde
20 Item one peir of beades of whole currall being of that sorte xlviij and viij of golde ennamuled/
Margin: Geven by the kynge at Otland mense decembris anno xxxijdo
The same Beades geven bythe quene to the Lady margaret Doglas at new yerestyde anno domini Regis reseruyng the said pillor with his grace
Item one peir of beades of lyke white conteignyng lvj/ and of golds stones ennamuled viij with a pillor of golde iij squares with an antique face in every square garnesshed with lite turquires and rubyes
N Bristowe
f. 65v]
[blank]
f. 66]
Cheynes
1 Itme oone Cheyne conteignyng xiiij peces of goldesmyhes wercke wherin are sett xiiij diamondes and xiiij rubyes and xxvij other peces of goldesmythes worcke longe & ennamuled with blacke/ tying to euery of them oone peerle. that is to say xiiij peerlles in the same Cheyne/
Margin: This cheyne to written lastly b
pro b
2 Item oone othe Cheyne conteiging xix peces of golde smythesworcke rounde ennamuled black/ and xviij Clusters of peerlles set in golde that is to say v peerlles in every Cluster/
Margin: pro b
3 Item oone Cheyne of golde conteignyng x pillors of golde being in every pillor thre rubyes/ xx peces of golde lyke longe peares ennamuled blewe and blacke/ and x peces of golde lyke a Salte being upon every of them thre peerlles conteigning in the whole xxx peerlles/
margin: pro b
4 Item oone other Cheyne of golde conteignyng x pillors of golde being in every pillor thre diamondes/ xx peces of goldes lyke longe peares ennamuled blacke/ and x peces of golde lyke a Salte being upon every of them thre peerlles conteignyng in the whole xxx peerlles/
Margin: pro l
5 Item oone other Cheyne of golde conteignyng xxiiij peces of golde/ In xij peces of whereof is set in every pece thre small table diamondes in the whole xxxvj diamondes/ and in euery of thother xij peces of golde is set thre rubyes/ in the whole xxxvij rubyes/ and betwixt every of the same peces of golde so garnesshed with diamondes and rubyes is set affeir peerle in a lynke of golde in the whole in peerlles xxiij/ There was oone loost before the charge given in custody to Mrs herbert/ or else there shulde haue been written her xxiiij peerlles
N Bristowe
f. 66v]
Yet Cheynes
Margin: pro b
6 Item oone other Cheyne of golde conteignyng x peces of oone fasshoon wherin are x diamondes tabled and x rubyes/ and xx pillors of gold ennamuled grene blue and white with also xx peerlles betwixt every peerle one litle pece of goldesmytheswerwerck/
Margin: pro b
7 Item oone other Cheyne of golde conteignyng xvl peces of Goldesmythesworcke of one fasshon in every twoo Rubyes in the whole in rubyes xxxijti and xvj peerlles etc betwixt euery pece one peerll
Cheynes - vij
N Bristowe
Margin: Given by the king at hamptoncourte at newe yeres tyde anno xxxijdo
vacat
8 Item oone Cheyne of Golde conteignyng x peces in euery of them ar thre small diamondes in nombre xxxti/ and x other peces in euery of them set iij rubyes in nombre xxx/ betwixt euery of them a knot of golde
N Bristowe
f. 67]
Tablettes & bookes
1 Item oone Tablette of Golde with a border of antiques abought the same hauyng x Emeraldes and upon thonesyde thereof is an antiqueman standing in red/ amd upon thothersyde an antiqueman rydyng upon alyan hauyng also oone peerll hangyng at the same/
Margin: Taken by the kyng wholy into his owne handes mense novembris anno xxxiijo Regni sui
2 Item oone Tablet of Gold ennamuled/ upon thonesyde whereof is Seint George on horsebacke with vij diamondes and iiij rock rubyes/ and on thodersyde v persones with affeyer Table diamond and a rubye/ hauyng a Cheyne of golde to hange the same by conteignyng viij peces of goldesmyth eswerke ennamuled blacke and white with xij diamondes and xij rubyes upon the same/ hauyng also xxxij peerlles betwixt every peerle one pece of goldesmythesworke ennamuled redd
Margin: Taken by the kyng in to his owne handes mense novembris anno xxxiijo Regni sui
3 Item oone Tablet of Golde thonesyde ennamuled blacke with H.R./ and thotherside is grauen upon pomaunder/
Margin: [Ta]ken by the kyng in to his owne handes mense novembris anno xxxiijo Regni sui
4 Item oone Tablet of Golde wherin is a Clocke upon thoneside whereof ar naked men and beastes with a ffeir rock ruby and xiiij small diamondes one is alreddy lost before the charge and on the thothersyde is viij persones/ thre diamondes/ and vij rubyes/
Margin: The same pomaunder geven by the quene to the lady Mary the kinges doughter at pomfrett reseruyng the cheyne with her grace still
5 Item oone pomaunder of golde wherin is a Clocke/ ennamuled with diuers collors/ garnesshed with xij small rubyes/ hauyng a cheyne of golde hanging at it conteignyng viij peces of golde of one fasshon ennamuled black garnesshed with xvj small rubyes & xvj small Turquezes/ xxiiij small peces of golde/ and xxxij peerles in lynckes of golde in the same Cheyne
N Bristowe
f. 67v]
Bookes & purses
Margin: Taken by the king in to his owne handes mense novembris anno xxxiijo Regni sui
6 Item oone Booke of golde ennamuled wherin is a Clock upon euery syde of which booke is thre diamonds alitle man standyng upon oone of them/ ffoure Turquezes and thre Rubyes with alitle cheyne of golde hanging at it ennamuled blewe/
7 Item oone Booke of golde ennamuled with blacke garnesshed with xxvij rubyes hauyng also acheyne of Golde and perle to hange at by conteignyng xliij peerlles/
8 Item oone other Booke ennamuled with grene white & blewe hauyng afeir Sapher on euery syde and viij rubyes upon the same booke/
9 Item oone Booke of golde ennamuled with blacke white and red/ and garnesshed with viij small rubyes hauyng H.I. ennamuled with blacke the backe of the booke being glasse/
Margin: The same purse taken by the kyng in to his owne handes mense novembris anno xxxiijo regnis sui
10 Item oone purse of Golde ennamuled red conteignyng vij diamondes set in goldesmythes werke with also henges and button of wyer golde/
11 Item oone other purse of golde lykewyse ennamuled with also viij diamondes lykewys set/ and with henges and buttons of wyer golde/
N Bristowe
f. 68]
12 Item one Tablet of Golde on thonesyde thereof conteigneth the passon of our Lorde/ and on thothersyde the resurrection both being of white agathe conteigning upon the same xxiiij rubyes and two diamondes with thre peerlles hanging in a cluster/ and one litle rubye amongst the said peerlles
13 Item one Tablet of Golde on thonesyde thereof is set a litle Roose of diamondes being vj small diamondes/ with h.k. of diamondes being xiij diamondes in them bothe and an E of diamondes being v diamondes/ and on thothersyde one greate Table diamonde with ij lettres in the ffoyle/ and iiij other diamondes in the same with certeyn persones/
Given by the king at hamptoncourte at newe yeres tyde anno regni domini Regis xxxijdo
14 Item one Tablet of Golde conteignyng on thonesyde a goodly diamonde lozenged with divers other small rubyes and diamondes two naked boyes and a litle boy with a crosse in his hand and divers other persones one with a sawe/ and scripture under the said diamonde/ and on thothersyde a ffeyer Ballas and the pycture of the busshopp of Rome comyng awey lamentyng/ and divers other persones one settyng his sole upon the busshop ouerthowen
N Bristowe
Margin: Geven by the king at Westminster mense martij anno xxxijdo
15 Item one booke of golde conteignyng xij diamondes and xl Rubyes
N Bristowe
Anne Boleyn regains her head
December 15 2011
Picture: Royal Collection
This isn't 'news' as such, but in a foray into the Tudor realms of Twitter last night I mentioned the drawing of Anne Boleyn by Holbein in the Royal Collection (above). I said that although in the past the identity was doubted by art historians, the sitter was now catalogued with certainty as 'Anne Boleyn', as you can see on the Royal Collection website. This prompted a flurry of curious tweets on the evidence behind the identity. So here it is.
There used to be an article online in The Times detailing how research by myself and David Starkey had helped confirm the identity. But it has now disappeared behind the paywall. So below the jump, and online for the first time, is the article I wrote for an exhibition at Philip Mould in 2006 called 'Lost Faces - Identity & Discovery in Tudor Royal Portraiture', which was guest curated by David. The article was in the context of a fine but posthumous portrait of Anne we had borrowed from Hever Castle, Anne's childhood home (below). The Royal Collection have found all the evidence compelling enough to change their cataloguing of the drawing (saying 'this is a rare surviving portrait of Anne'), which is very pleasing. Let me know if you agree (or disagree)!
The text is taken from the catalogue, so ignore figure numbers etc. I cannot reproduce all the supporting illustrations, but where possible I have included links to them. The footnote numbers are in bold.
Catalogue No. 12 English School, Sixteenth Century. Portrait of Anne Boleyn. Oil on Panel: 31 × 25 inches, 79 × 65 cm. Provenance: Mrs K Radclyffe; On loan from Hever Castle
There is only one of Henry VIII’s wives for whom we have no life portrait, and ironically she is the most famous of them all: Anne Boleyn. Instead, her identity is known to us only through a handful of later ‘corridor portraits’, of which this is the finest, and most probably the earliest. As with all posthumous portraits, however, they are subject to the historical, political, and visual prejudices of those who created and commissioned them. They cannot give us an accurate picture of what Anne really looked like.
[If on the homepage, click 'Read on' for the whole article]
Anne's surviving portraiture dates from the latter half of the sixteenth century. Most would have derived from sets of Henry’s six wives, and would have been commissioned as part of a historical narrative. Thus Anne is invariably shown as something of a wicked witch, the arch manipulator whose sexual allure drove Henry into the break with Rome: a portrayal clearly visible in the black dress, cold eyes and pale skin seen here. This portrait-type conforms to the later, Catholic view of hostile observers such as Nicholas Sanders, who in 1586 wrote, ‘Anne Boleyn was rather tall of stature, with black hair, and an oval face of a sallow complexion, as if troubled with jaundice. She had a projecting tooth under the upper lip, and on her right hand six fingers. There was a large wen under her chin, and therefore to hide its ugliness she wore a high dress covering her throat’.1
The contemporary sources reveal a different picture. In fact, Anne was, according to an observer in 1531, ‘good looking, of a rather dark complexion’.2 Her hair colour was certainly not black, and probably brunet, as recorded by her admirer Thomas Wyatt, although some portraits show her with lighter hair.3 There appears to be only one certain contemporary image of Anne that survives — a portrait medallion inscribed ‘A.R. The Moost Happi. Anno 1534’ (Fig. 39). It is badly rubbed, and useful only for showing Anne’s relatively long face and the hint of a prominent lower jaw (not unlike Elizabeth I’s), which accords well with Cat. 12. We do know, however, from another contemporary source that Sanders’ description of a swelling under her chin was probably correct.4
So far, so mysterious. But can it really be right that no contemporary image of Anne exists? She was highly cultured, interested in the arts, and schooled in continental courtly manners. And, most importantly of all, she was the first royal patron of Europe’s most gifted artist, Hans Holbein. He designed an arch for her coronation procession, numerous items of jewellery, and a New Year’s gift for Anne to give Henry. It is surely inconceivable that she did not at some point sit for her portrait.
Two exquisite drawings by Holbein are therefore worth further examination. Both are inscribed as showing Anne, but are clearly different sitters. The first, and the romantic favourite, shows a sultry beauty we can easily see as Henry’s temptress [British Museum, Fig. 38]. The drawing was inscribed as Anne in a seventeenth century script and was engraved thus by Hollar in 1649. Alas, this pretty sitter is too young to be Anne. The drawing has been convincingly discounted by, among others, John Rowlands.5 The second drawing, also identified by inscription, is in the Royal Collection (Fig. 37). It appears, on first inspection, to be a most unqueenly portrait. The sitter wears an undercap, a night gown and a simple chemise. The presence of a Wyatt coat of arms on the reverse of the drawing has led some to incorrectly suspect the sitter is a member of that family.6 However, I would like to restate here an earlier suggestion that the sitter is, in fact, Anne Boleyn.7
The most important evidence is the inscription, top left, ‘Anna Bollein Queen’. Similar inscriptions appear on the majority of Holbein drawings in the Royal Collection. The inscriptions themselves are not contemporary to the drawings, but we know from an early reference (1590) that they derive from original identities ‘subscribed by Sr John Cheke Secretary to King Edward the 6’,8 when the ‘great booke’ as it was known, belonged to the Earl of Arundel. Cheke (Fig. 42) was one of the bright brains of the Tudor court. He would have known most of Holbein’s sitters if not on personal terms, then at least visually. In 1544 he became tutor to Edward VI. It was probably then that Cheke identified the sitters for the benefit of the young prince, who we know took a keen interest in the book. Cheke began his career at court under the patronage of none other than Anne Boleyn. It seems inconceivable that he would get Anne’s identification wrong.
Most authorities have dismissed the validity of the ‘Anna Bollein’ inscription due to other apparent inconsistencies and errors in the Cheke identifications.9 However, recent research suggests they may be more accurate than is assumed. K. T. Parker’s excellent catalogue of the Windsor drawings, published in 1945, lists a total of sixty four drawings, then attributed to Holbein, which bear inscriptions derived from Cheke’s original annotations.10 Of these, only nine identifications are seriously questioned, among them the drawing of Anne. And of these nine, only two sitters, I suggest, can be certainly erroneous. The most obvious Cheke error was thought to be a drawing inscribed ‘Iohn Colet Dean of St Paul’s’ [Parker 59]. Colet died in 1519, long before Holbein arrived in England. However, Susan Foister has shown that Holbein’s drawing was taken from a bust by Torrigiano. Holbein was clearly willing to draw subjects without life sittings, as, for example, his oil portrait of Melanchthon shows [Niedersachsisches Landesmuseum, Hanover]. Until recently it was believed that Melanchthon sat to Holbein, but, as John Rowlands demonstrated, this cannot be the case.11 It is possible, therefore, that Holbein first sketched the likeness from his imagination, drawing from a number of different sources. If so, we cannot any longer rule out the inscription on a drawing at Windsor inscribed ‘Phil. Melanchton’ [Parker 68] on the grounds that it does not exactly replicate the final painting. The likeness between and the finished oil is close enough – and the sitter is clearly continental, to judge from his hat.
Another apparent Cheke error has been assumed to be the misidentification of a drawing inscribed ‘The Lady Mary after Queen’ [Parker 41] (Fig. 40). On first inspection it seems unlikely that the sitter is Mary Tudor. The pretty carefree sitter in Holbein’s drawing seems so unlike that the sour prude seen in Antonio Mor’s portraits of Mary (Fig. 41). But I believe that the Holbein drawing certainly is Mary. A study of the jewellery allows a positive identification to be made. The sitter wears jewellery also seen in Master John’s portrait of Mary of 1544 [NPG 428, Fig. 4], in which the likeness, too, is similar. Unfortunately the central jewel in the drawing is too rubbed to certainly identify, but the rough outline is closely comparable to the jewel seen at Mary’s neck in the John portrait. The jewel can be found in Mary’s inventory of Jewels; ‘Itm A flower wt five great Diamonds, ij rubies, oon Emerawde, and a great ple pendunte’. The unusually large pearls around Mary’s neck are also identical with those in the John portrait, and these too can be found in Mary’s inventory. They are, depending on how she wore them, either; ‘Itm a lace of great ples for hir graces Necke conteyning lxvij. Ples’, or, ‘Item a lace for her to goo once a bought her grace necke conteynig xxvj. greate perle’.12
Three further previously questioned Cheke identities are; ‘Edward Prince of Wales’ [Parker 71], ‘Ormond’ [Parker 23], and ‘The Dutchess of Suffolk’ [Parker 56]. But these need not challenge Cheke’s accuracy either. The first, Edward, we can confidently prove is correct, for the same face pattern can be found on a rare series of portraits of Edward at the age of about four (Fig. 43). The portraits were almost certainly taken from Holbein’s drawing, and have always been accepted as Edward. In the painted version Edward holds a Lancastrian rose. The drawing of ‘Ormond’ has been shown not be Thomas Boleyn, as was presumed, but James Butler, ninth Earl of Wiltshire & Ormond,13 thus clearing up any confusion over the sitter’s dates. Finally, there has been some confusion which ‘Dutchess of Suffolk’ Holbein shows, an issue discussed below in some detail by Alisdair Hawkyard.
This leaves just two erroneously inscribed drawings from the More family group portrait. The first is ‘The Lady Barkley’ [Parker 4] but is in fact Elizabeth Dauncey, More’s daughter. The second is inscribed ‘Mother Iak’ [Parker 8], but shows Margaret Giggs, More’s adopted daughter. We can surely forgive Cheke these errors, for the drawings date from Holbein’s first trip to England between 1526–8, well before Cheke came to court.14
Which leaves us with Anne. On simple probability alone, the chances of the inscription being erroneous are slim. And, as mentioned above, Anne is one of the sitters Cheke was least likely to get wrong. Similarly, one would struggle to see why, if a later inscriber was casting around for a portrait to call Anne among the drawings, he would have alighted on an image that least resembles the modern conception of a queen. I do not believe that the likeness in Fig. 37 is totally dissimilar to the later portraits of Anne, such as that exhibited here. The raised nose, long face and slightly prominent jaw are comparable. The chin in the drawing is perhaps swollen, and would accord with Anne’s alleged facial misfortune. And the unusually simple costume is another argument in favour of Anne, for only a woman of the highest rank would have taken such a liberty in court circles. Privacy and royalty rarely went together. The Queen’s Privy Chamber was in fact a rather public place. Henry too was known to receive visitors ‘in a nyght gown’.15
There is no conclusive proof that the sitter in the Windsor drawing is Anne. And yet the case in favour of it being her is strong. At the very least, we should view with a healthy scepticism those later portraits that show Anne as a dark and vaguely frightening figure.
Footnotes:
23 Gwen Johns found at Princeton
December 15 2011
Picture: BBC
An extraordinary cache of 23 watercolours by Gwen John has been found uncatalogued in the library at Princeton University. They were discovered by Professor Anna Robins of Reading University in an old box containing an accordian. From BBC Wales:
Prof Robins said her first reaction was to go to the librarian on the desk and tell him she thought it absurd that the university library had 23 Gwen John watercolours that it clearly knew nothing about.
"He said: 'There's a complaints form over there. If you are unhappy with the library you should make a complaint'."
