@@MagklJellyBeanPastelLucidDream The truth is Elizabeth could have done almost anything if she chose to, though there's always a price. The problem was that England was still very much embroiled in a religious conflict despite having quieted to some degree following Mary's death. If Elizabeth decided to honor her mother by giving her a proper burial, it may have incited a new round of political unrest. Combined with the undercurrent of religious tension she probably did not want to stir the honest's nest. She faced a near-constant threat to her reign as it was. Nice eye, BTW.
I absolutely love that Elizabeth carried the pictures of her mother. I think, for her entire life, Elizabeth felt her mother’s presence. These are all very beautiful images. I can imagine Anne’s eyes were the keys to her beauty❤️ Edit: the Holbein drawing reminds me so much of our Princess Anne, and of Princess Margaret.
I think that the Holbein image is the true image of Anne. It was sketched by a royal painter and it was done during her lifetime. She was pregnant three times at least before she was killed, so perhaps she was fuller in the sketch because she was pregnant when she was being drawn.
Agree as well. I love Holbein’s portraits, as I find them so detailed. Because of the detail, it seems to me these would be more accurate. As you said, she might have been very pregnant at the time.
agreed, not to mention that those undergarments for the neck piece seem to fasten just under the chin - which is bound to create some unflattering angles if so
My money's on Hans Holbein. That dude knew how to make a portrait. And in any case, maybe he made the sketch towards the end of her life when she had gained a little weight in the jaw. It's not so different from the other portraits, just more realistically done.
I agree. Unlike the National Portrait Gallery image, Holbein's drawings and portraits are not stiff and stylized; they reflect a desire to come as close to [what we think of as] a photographic likeness of the subject as was achievable at that time. Just contrast a Holbein portrait with any typical portrait from that period; Holbein's looks like a real person; the other does not.
I think that Holbein's sketch was made when Anne was pregnant and somewhat puffy. This would be accentuated by the fact that at least in some cases the coifs or headdresses were held in place by a tight cord, strap, or ribbon that passed from side to side under the chin. Examples can be clearly seen in the contemporary portraits of (a) Margaret Wyatt, Lady Lee, (b) Queen Katherine Howard, and (c) Anne Parr, Lady Herbert at www.tudorsdynasty.com/tudor-womens-hair-headpieces/
Marcel please people stop judging how people look back then, stop saying they’re ugly, you clearly don’t understand the beauty standard back then, I mean we don’t consider it beautiful today, also it’s a different than ours.
My theory is that Anne Boleyn's hair was very dark brown, just one shade lighter than black, and showed red highlights where the light hit it. I knew someone with hair like that.
History records that Anne had black hair, & dark eyes People nicknamed her " The night crow" i had an ancestor at the Tudor court, he was auditor to Jane Seymours brothers, was thanked by the fat usurper, for saving him, £1000 in wages! My ancestor did very well out of the dissolution of the monasteries, i am ashamed to be related to him, as a dyed in the wool Yorkist.
I am a Filipino born and raised in the 🇵🇭 Philippines, Living recently in Japan 🇯🇵, I started to watch documentaries about English histories and documentaries, I adore Queen Elizabeth I (the 1st)😌 according to history and as far as what the documentaries I have seen😊 What ever what Queen Ann Boleyn looks likes in real life🥰😍 it will never changed that the history of what the GREAT QUEEN ELIZABETH the FIRST (QUEEN ELIZABETH I ) is the first great Queen of them all🥰❤️ BEAUTIFUL IN MY EYES, AND EVERY EYES OF EVERYBODY WHO BELIEVES IN HER🥰 Thank you🙏
Fun fact: In the first Harry Potter movie, if you look closely in one of the scenes (I think it is the moving stair case scene), you can see a portrait of Anne Boleyn. I think this may have been a reference to her being accused of being a witch. At the very least, it holds a striking resemblance to the National Portrait Gallery portrait. On a more related note, I think it would be very cool if a portrait of Anne Boleyn appeared- one that was painted when she was alive. As far as I know, no contemporary portraits of her have been found. I could be wrong, so please feel free to correct me.
I was lucky enough to see the locket ring at an exhibition in Paris and it is tiny. The portraits are the size of my little fingernail. It is beautiful.
@@anneboleynfiles I would love to see the locket ring. It is so touching to see that Elizabeth had this ring made of her mother, who died when she was only three years old.
One reason not mentioned for the Holbein portrait being so casual, & "scrofulous" - i.e., *swollen* - is that she could *very well* have been pregnant; she certainly was when she was crowned!
Rosie Stevens Yes, that could account for the double chin too, water retention. Plus the relaxed state of undress. Mind you, Anne is said to have complained bitterly about the loss of her figure, style icon that she was...perhaps she was after setting a new fashion for pregnant ladies?
Fiona Beswick Yes that's a cool theory, who knows :-) There are lots of people who say the sketch is not Anne, and I think it is mainly people who are just a bit disappointed that this sketch doesn't have the same sexual allure and striking beauty of the Hever castle portrait, it sort of ruins their romanticized view of Anne. I am not saying Anne was unattractive by any means, I am just pointing out that focusing too much on one portrait can be unwise, as it might not depict her as accurately as another portrait does. I think that the best way to gain an idea of what someone like Anne looked like is to pick similar traits in each portrait/sketch of her, to gain a better idea of her actual appearance. Also, a lot of people complained that John Cheke (Edward VI's tutor) mislabelled many sketches, but personally I doubt he would mislabel someone as important as Anne, and he most likely knew what she looked like too. Oh and another reason why Anne's chin might look swollen on the sketch is because her bonnet has a string that ties around it? A lot of Tudor women's headdresses and bonnets have a string that fastens underneath their chins in portraits, and it often makes them look a bit swollen in that region. The Holbein miniature of Katherine Howard is a good example, you can see it looks rather tight. Might be the same for Anne in the sketch.
Rosie Stevens hey interesting about the string..I just tried it myself. and when your chin is tucked in, even if your neck is slim, it does make a bulge.
Fiona Beswick Yes exactly, and they were all about tightness back in those days so I assume that is a contributing factor to Anne's swollen looking chin.
I remember reading somewhere that the drawing of Anne was (or possibly was) made when she was pregnant. To me it looks the same as the others, but with more weight on the face, which would be consistent with pregnancy.
I agree with you. I have read so much over the last decade about Anne and studied every single thing ever written about her and her appearance including readingthat this is her during pregnancy. The sketch was also ID’d by someone who knew Anne during Anne’s life - ID’d after her death but by a friend. I believe the Holbein sketch to be the most accurate and intimate.
It has been said she was not conventionally beautiful compared to most women at court. BUT was considered to have an exotic look that was considered sexy and different. She stood out. Her unique beauty was not the only thing she had going for her. She was well trained in the french court. ladies in waiting were not only trained to take care of their mistresses but they generally had a higher education and were trained in the art of conversation. People back then did not speak as plainly as people do now. Read any diary entry or letter from back then and you will see that the art of conversing was apart of every day life. And she was a very good communicator who used more than just her mouth. She was not only stylish but she was smart, funny and witty. The king could have had any pretty girl he wanted. But she was far more sexy than any "pretty" girl at court. She had the whole package and Henry wanted her. She also played hard to get at first by refusing to simply become his mistress making her even more desirable. Everyone wants what they can't have. Also, people need to understand that Anne did not get on the thrown all by herself. Families at court were willing to do anything to conspire in order to gain wealth and power for their families. When Henry ordered the execution of Anne Boelyn, they also executed members of her family. The accusations were simply a cover up for the real reasons she was executed. Which will probably never be set in stone. I guess there are some history mysteries that will never be solved and that's one reason why so many people are fascinated by her.
There is a great difference between being beautiful and being attractive as any clever woman knows. Beauty is transient but women like Anne Boleyn, Elinor of Aquitaine,Wallace Simpson had something far less superficial,the ability to fascinate.
she was plain and not good looking at all. her friends wrote that about her. Also as said before paintings of royalty were often done to make the subject appear better looking or more regal. This was a woman who did nothing of any worth. She ran after a married man and paid the price. Why is everyone acting as though she was someone special? I get that someone who runs a site on the second wife of Henry 8th is obsessed for some reason, but this was not a woman of any historical importance.
60toodles "This was not a woman of any historical importance". You are talking about the woman who lead the king to decide for the severance of the Church of England. And please, do not forget that she is the mother of the woman who became the most known, loved, remembered queen of England. The same queen which lead the nation to a prosperity never seen before. She is the mother of the queen of the Golden Age. I wouldn't say Anne Boleyn is of no importance. Do you want to know why some people described her as not good looking (and please keep in mind that she hadn't got a good reputation, so people tended to exaggerate)? She had dark hair, dark eyes and a small bosom, also her skin wasn't pale. Her lips were not thin and her mouth was not small. Do you want to know what you required to be considered beautiful? Light blonde hair, light eyes, pale skin, prosperous breasts, small mouth. A woman had to be modest. A woman had to serve and shut up. Anne wasn't modest. She spoke her mind. The king was attracted to that, she was attractive in a different way, she was intelligent a fierce. He loved it at first, then it became to much.
I think the best likeness we'll ever see (unless given permission to exhume her remains and do a facial reconstruction) is Elizabeth's portraits. She definitely appears to look more like her mother than her father.
+S Kandy The remains in the chancel were exhumed in the 19th century (1876-7) when conservation work was being done on the chapel. The floor in that area was sinking so they had to be dug up. What they found was not a jumble of bones, they found bones grouped together which suggests that the remains were indeed buried in coffins, or, in Anne's case, in an elm chest used for bow staves. The bones found in the spot recorded as being the spot where Anne was buried in 1536 were of a female and two men were buried to the right of her (as you look at the chancel), which fits where the Dukes of Somerset and Northumberland were recorded as being buried. These were important people so they were buried respectfully and in coffins. There are also remains in the crypt, which were found in what used to be the graveyard of the chapel.
@@cherylanderegg1690 yeah we know, Cpt Obvious....when I saw the miniature, I also thought that it looked more like QE1 even though I know they looked like one another from accounts I've read. But when you see it, so vividly, it does take your breath away.
I agree with you Claire, when I think of Anne Boleyn I instantly think of the Hever image. All up, a great video, well researched with a pleasant smooth voice i could listen to for hours!
+Aiodhan O'Connellan Come on we both know that men don't really go at it like women go at it, I have seen women tear each other apart just for fun. Men hardly ever do that and I have 5 older brothers so I know this for a fact.
***** LOL are you serious? that is what you got? No I am not pulling your leg, but thanks for making me laugh and the only person who made themselves look like a moron is you. Have an awesome day.
+Starlee Midnight If you had ever stood outside a public house at closing time you would have your answer. A bloke with a few pints inside him will fight over anything and nothing, Men beat up gay's. they fight over women, football, any thing will do. You must have led a very sheltered life my friend.
bella donna LOL I wish sadly I grew up in the streets of LA, I am far from sheltered, I have seen a lot of messed up things girls do just for 'fun' but I have never seen guys act like that maybe once in a while but not just for the hell of it. but yet again I grew up in an all girls school so it might be different for me eh
Anne Boleyn actually had dark auburn hair, not black hair. The description of her with black hair was written by one of her enemies during a time when black hair was very unbecoming for a woman. That same man also attributed Anne with having an extra finger (or nail) and several ugly moles on her neck, so he was clearly already biased about the lady'a appearance. This is why Elizabeth' hair was so red. Henry's hair was more or a strawberry-blond, not a true vibrant red like Elizabeth's.
Fascinating idea! I'd never seen the Hever portrait of Ann, and, being an artist who works in the Renaissance/Classical style, I've spent years studying portraiture. Even with the feature distortions which were fashionable in painting at the time, the Hever portrait certainly shows a stunningly beautiful woman, with Ann's described black hair and eyes. All the features add up...I think you're absolutely right. Brilliant! And, thank you for sharing this!
Have you ever seen the portrait of Anne Boleyn they have in Florence at the Uffizi Gallery? The De Medici family were rather nosey and they sent their artists all over Europe to paint the portraits of leaders and notable figures of their times. They have Henry and Anne both. The portraits hang from the ceiling beams in the corridors of the Uffizi gallery and often go unnoticed. What I found particularly fascinating about them was that they were done in the Italian style, not the English style at the time, in addition they were commissioned by others so weren't designed to flatter particularly. It gives a different but recognizable perspective.
I went there a long time ago but can't remember seeing it back then, but I have seen the one of Anne online. As you say, it's a very different style. Thank you!
My history professor told me about those portraits, so I paid special attention to them when I was able to visit the gallery. They have Henry VIII and I believe Elizabeth I. I appreciated the altered perspective. As much as I admire the Hans Holbein the younger style of portraiture, it was so dominant at the time that it had a slightly homaginizing effect on the court portraits. (At least to my mind) That and the tendency to copy older works through the generations as well as the Royal ability to require a certain perspective from the artist. I have been disappointed that the Uffizi portraits get as little attention as they do. One has to know they are there when at the gallery to truly get the significance or even notice them. They never seem to be examined very closely as an interesting perspective on the time period from an academic perspective. At least not that I've encountered in English or French. Sadly my Italian is only good enough to ensure that I don't get egg on my pizza.
Yes, portraits in other country's collections do tend to get neglected. One of my favourite Anne Boleyn portraits is a French one - see es.pinterest.com/pin/167829523584354574/ or www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/anneboleyn1533.jpg Ha! Yes, I can ask for a glass of red wine and a slice of four cheese pizza in Italian!
I love these videos that show what these past figures would most likely have looked like. You can't help but try to picture it in your mind when you read about them.
The sketch by Holbein and the miniature by Lucas represent her true appearance. The others are portraits painted by people after her death, who never saw her. She may have had a goiter later in her marriage or a double chin. I think her face was thinner before her pregnancies. It is thought that the Holbein sketch was painted while she was pregnant. She was not a beauty, but attractive when she was dressed in the best clothing and hoods. Her gifts were of wit, charm and intelligence. She also said what she thought and this charmed her husband at first, but irritated him when she failed to produce a son. The Hever Castle portrait is lovely but not an accurate representation of Anne Boleyn.
The portrait at 2:36 simply isn't a likeness. Anne never lived into her mid-forties, clearly the age of the sitter for this painting. The AB necklace could have been added later, maybe not much after Anne's death, in order to pass of the picture off as one of Anne Boleyn. That sort of thing happened *all the time* in those days. Or it could have been inherited by the sitter. Perhaps this picture is of a relative. At any rate, I don't believe the picture can be taken at all seriously as a likeness of Anne Boleyn. At 3:15 we see a Holbein. This artist was known for his incredibly faithful portraits and we can be sure that whoever the sitter was, this picture is a wonderful representation of her. However, while this piece comes from a portfolio of drawings of the luminaries of Henry VIII's time, we can't be entirely sure that the names written on them are the correct ones for all the sitters. This is because they were added a couple of centuries later by an unknown art dealer (I don't know where this narrator got her info. It's incorrect). In considering whether this is indeed Henry's second wife, one thing to note is the simple privy-chamber cap worn by the sitter. How unlike the fabulous hoods favored by royal and court women of the day! I personally find it difficult to believe Anne, given what we know of her pride and luxury, would have allowed the royal portraitist in to her private chambers to draw her before she had even completed her toilet. I think the narrator is absolutely right to be skeptical of this work. 4:22 is clearly someone other than Elizabeth's mother. Too many portraits show Anne as looking strikingly like her daughter to believe she could have as different a face as this. If we're going to believe the assertion that only royalty had miniatures made (which is poppycock, by the way - just google English miniatures from this period and you'll find dozens of non-royal miniatures), we could perhaps take it to be Catherine Howard, but it does not look much even like her; Mary Boleyn is a much better guess. I don't know why anybody would identify this person as Anne Boleyn. There's another portrait often erroneously identified Anne Boleyn, which can be seen here - speedy.theanneboleynfiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/anne-holbein-mrxlg.jpg Again, we see a portrait that has nothing in common with the first four shown in this video and which looks nothing like Elizabeth. I suppose I agree with the narrator's conclusion, though it's possible that in the National Gallery portrait, the hair and eyes have faded over time, becoming more transparent, revealing the under-painting beneath, a phenomenon called "pentimento." This happened to many artist's pigments in those days, up to the late 18th century. Still, as much as it resembles Elizabeth, this painting is posthumous and we can't be sure whether it was copied from one done from life.
EyeLean5280 what a stupid thing to say..." Anne never lived into her mid-forties, clearly the age of the sitter for this painting. " you have no way of backing up that statement that the sitter is in her forties. Also, who says Anne had to sit for the Holbein portrait..an artist of skill who knew her could have easily done this portrait with out her present.
Greenish Frog Okay, so the sitter _could_ be in her early 40's, (but also as old as her early 50s, if quite well preserved for her time). But there are clear signs of aging beyond 35, Anne's age upon death. Certainly, the sitter looks visibly older than a confirmed portrait of Anne done only 2 1/2 years before her execution. Your hypothesis that Holbien could have done a portrait in the queen's absence is a better point. You are absolutely correct about that - Holbein both knew her and had a number of sketches he'd done of her he could work from. But on the other hand, he wasn't in the habit of making women look older than they were (for who would want such an image?), so without concrete evidence (as you yourself demand of me), I'm still inclined toward my own speculative interpretation, rather than yours. Finally, what on earth is the point of such incredibly poor manners? Why the need to call people you disagree with "stupid"? What is your problem? Can't you exchange ideas with others like an adult?
EyeLean5280 'Poor manners' is correct. I don't know why some people find it necessary to be so strident in their criticism of others. A simple 'I don't agree' would suffice. It is generally agreed among art historians and art restorers that the Holbein sketch is not of Anne Boleyn. As you have previously stated she would not have tolerated a sketch made of herself wearing a simple cap - apparently the lady was very fashion conscious. Fine sketch as it is, as is everything done by this fine draftsman it is not one of Anne Boleyn.
Hi Claire, I love your website. I've been reading it often as I binge watch the Tudors. I'm disappointed that Natalie Dormer didn't wear dark contacts for the role in the Tudors because Anne's flashing, intelligent dark eyes were a big part of her physical appeal. But then again, so was Henry's reddish blond hair that he got from his grandmother. Jonathan Rhys Meyer's dark hair and slender build look nothing like the corpulent blonde monarch. He was a pork bun for much of his life and JRM is cute but too buff and wiry to play the royal meatball. What do you think about Antonia Frasier's book on the 6 wives of Henry VIII? Did you read it? If not, it is worth checking out. I found it fun and interesting to read.
I just started watching the tutors a few weeks ago. And King Henry the 8th is right now married to Anne Boleyn. I've been looking at the actress wondering if she actually looked anything like the queen. I'm so happy I ran across this. It is answered the questions that have been running through my mind.
Someone needs to paint a portrait of the national portrait gallery, and place it in the national portrait gallery, then people can go to the national portrait gallery to see the portrait of the national portrait gallery.
can't believe I stumbled onto this channel..I love and have studied English histories, fascinated w Anne..so much so, I took the name Boleyn as my middle when I was confirmed..to the person who coom enter on resurrecting Annes bones for a reconstruction,,THAT WOULD B A DREAM COME TRUE..I have wondered endlessly about her true looks and have stuck w the image of Natalie Dormer..not so much the physical appearance , but rather Annes spirit and tenacity ..as well as her ruthless pursuit of that crown..he was quite something..changed the course of British history
Thank you! I enjoyed your video! I've always felt a bit sad for Ann Boleyn. She tried so hard. I'm a huge fan of history. My own family, was a large part of it.
They're actually not, Anne is not being exhumed and her skull has never been used in this way. There's been a picture of Emily Pooley's waxwork of Anne Boleyn doing the rounds on social media as a "facial reconstruction", but it's not, it's a creative work. Emily was inspired by the Holbein sketches and then used a friend as a model. See www.theanneboleynfiles.com/facial-reconstruction-anne-boleyn-no/
+emma duncan Yes, thank you. All those laid to rest should be left alone and not exhumed out of curiosity over something so superficial. Anne Boleyn was used and betrayed by all the men in her life. Her father and uncle were grasping and underhanded, and literally whored Anne and Mary out in a play to elevate their status. I believe that Henry was too quick to believe the lies and had he not been so prideful and remembered why he fell in love with her, he could have been the only man in her life who had nothing to lose or gain for standing by her. King Henry should have investigated her father and her slimy uncle and brother. RIP Queen Anne💐 . And, to all Henry.s queens. They had so much to endure, especially towards the middle where he was a big smelly repugnant fat ass. To the women who had to put up with his shit🍸🍸🍸 None will be forgotten.
Grace Futrell Ann Boleyn's bones lie in a jumble of human remains - all execution victims - beneath a chapel on the Tower grounds. A facial reconstruction is not remotely possible.
The large neck/double chin could mean hypothyroidism - which would explain why she had trouble getting pregnant after Elizabeth, and the miscarriages she had.
Hi, interesting analysis! I wonder if anyone has taken into account the beautiful Holbein portrait "thought to be Anne Boleyn"? (I'll attempt to post a link to it!) For me it has several features which fit well with the other portraits and written descriptions: the long face, graceful neck, very dark eyes and eyebrows suggesting black hair, and, at least to our modern eyes, attractive appearance which does not however fit in the with the contemporary idea of a "fair lady". There is a slight fullness about the chin which fits the other Holbein portrait and the coronation description (pregnancy can do horrible things to one!!) and she is wearing an English hood which is not usually associated with this Francophile, but which she is on record as having worn on at least one occasion (her execution alas). I think we also have to remember that so much of what makes a person attractive is in their movements, laughter, smile, and all of this is lacking in a portrait. As well as her undoubtedly attractive appearance she was almost certainly a very able, accomplished and sophisticated flirt, all fascination and no vulgarity. www.wikipaintings.org/en/hans-holbein-the-younger/portrait-of-a-lady-thought-to-be-anne-boleyn
Great video and I agree with your pick. I did see an explanation of the ring Elizabeth wore and other portraits that existed...that Elizabeth herself commissioned them and without accurate portraits of descriptions of her she asked that they use her own likeness to create portraits of Anne?
Imagine they would find one. It would be the biggest sensation in hundreds of years. Or of they found some more information, one more piece of the puzzle that would connect to something else again. That would be so great!
I like to think that Anne's hair was a dark brown or chestnut colored, because, back then, "Dark could have meant any range of colors, just in the darker form of then. It may have also been black, but because of how Anne's image was besmirched in any way possible, she naturally would have been made raven-haired, as that was a sign of evil. So more current portraits of her would be made to fit that image of a raven-haired temptress.
The Hever rose portrait is also the one that makes her look the prettiest, and for that reason alone I would dismiss it. I think the Holbein sketch is probably spot on of what Anne look like. I also take into consideration his reputation as being one of the finest artists of his time.
I thought it was generally believed that Henry and his advisors had every painting of Anne destroyed and that most portraits were painted using a likeness to Elizabeth but coloring her hair and eyes based on surviving descriptions? Are these painting scientifically dated?
chookfeather, no, they are all just reproductions of what the artists thought she looked like, or perhaps there was one or two portraits around and they copied those, and since the late Queen Anne was so despised and hated, they made her look ugly. The only way that I will be satisfied, and it probably will be a cold day in hell if this ever happens, but I wish they would dig/disinter the bodies, take photos of their skulls and do a computer generated recreation of their faces like they do with crime victims who's skeletal remains have been found.
+Proud Kansan I am really surprised that there were no DEATH MASKS created of Royalty of the day. It was popular in the 15th and 16th Centuries among the wealthy and nobles. That sure would have helped out.
+S Kandy Yes true...though since she was tried convicted and beheaded for treason I have to wonder if her supporters or even people with paintings of her in private collections would have also destroyed them out of fear. It's something to wonder about though - if someone who did not fear Henry's wrath would have secreted away a true portrait of her.
+The Anne Boleyn Files and Tudor Society; when you showed the Hans Holbein drawing, something struck me. Yes, I know the showing off writers, names have changed over time, bit, I was struck first by the showing of 'Bolleyn 'as 'Bollein', and the fact that this was drawn by hand Ho...B-E-I-N'. Perhaps there's a reason for the name to be spelt as such, and then the lights of labelling it, 'Queen'.
I just found your channel. As an "armchair historian" ☺ I'm thrilled. One of my visual comparisons that I have found most interesting are Anne Boleyn's hands in portraiture compared to Elizabeth I's hands. I find it particularly interesting when using Queen Elizabeth I portrait of her at 13 by "unknown" as the comparison. Biographical information will speak of both mother and daughter having the same "black" eyes, but she had her father's red hair and fair complexion. I have read in biographies that Queen Elizabeth I thought her hands were one of her best features and always wanted them displayed in portraiture. Comparing portraits, it can be said that mother and daughter shared this delicate feature. I have wondered if it was a true life comparison or an affectation assigned by the portrait artist. I look forward to learning more from your videos and website.
I’m a descendant of Catherine Parr! I go through her aunt’s line! Unfortunately Catherine Parr isn’t in the line of being queen or related to a monarch :(
Very interesting ---thank you.There is another sketch by Hans Holbein which does not appear in this gallery of images and in my opinion is the most likely candidate as the best likeness of Anne.She is shown wearing a gable- hooded head-dress and facing to the right.Her profile can be clearly seen and the likeness to her father Thomas is inescapable.The eyes are dark and the brows too with the eyes slightly heavy lidded but attractive.The sketch names anne as the sitter and is signed by Holbein.
Ahem. YOU don't know that she HAD a "petulant" side. Claire Foy is an actress, paid to interpret a script, not a historian. Do you have any concept of what her life was like, besieged by enemies desperate to take her down, spies and conspirators at every turn, hoping for a chance to betray her ?? Not seeing how that makes her anxiety or fear "petulant". :( Anne's last words were brave and were praise for the maniac that had her executed so he could move on to the next wife. No petulance there.
I love your website, I didn't know you were here too! You are more learned on the subject than I am, but all of Holbein's work speaks to me of a man with a natural talent. I have an uncle as well as my Dad who can both capture a person's look in a few effortless strokes of the pencil. Maybe Queen Anne is a little chubby in HH's sketch due to a pregnancy. The face tends to become more full when we are expecting. I like your choice too.
I am with you in imagining her as she is on Hever Castle portrait. (I'm doing the cross stitch of this portrait at the moment :)) But as to the miniature being of her sister Mary - maybe it still could be Anne but much younger when people still have some plumpness around their face, as in late teens, and then faces become more defined and chiselled looking, features take more definition in 20s and 30s - hence the miniature features differing from other, more adult depictions of Anne.
Hever's Castle portrait is so beautiful, Next time I go to England, I will pay my respect to Queen Anne Boleyn. I could not resist and bought a brooch with a reproduction of that painting. I can't wait to see the original.
Anne had an oval face with an olive complexion. If she as black I would need to check her family history before I can confirm. She had dark almond eyes with apparently thin lips, high cheekbones and dark hair. She has a long neck and people did state she had moles on her neck. She was thin and had small breast. She wasnt really tall so she was medium in height.
The chalk drawing looks like the Nid Hall portrait. I think the Nid Hall portrait was the original, the Hever castle, and National portrait Gallery were a copy by memory of Nid Hall portrait. The last miniature is also Anne. The computer program said the Nid Hall portrait matches the medal.
Hope they will introduce the closest portrait to Anne Boleyn in the National Gallery inorder to enliven of what she really looks like even just a bit; rather than present a far from the person's true likeness. It helps us imagine her true face, you know.
If you arfe going on actual accounts reported by people at court they were quite similar. Dark hair, dark eyes, long neck, small breasts, and slender. Accounts also say that she was not considered the typical beauty, but had great wit, and fiery. I don't think you will ever truly know because a medal or a coin does not depict any true likeness. I am sure that there were paintings along with other things connected to her, but they were destroyed at Henry VIII's request. She will be a mystery
Many paintings are faded but it is clear she was aside from the rest that had red or gold hair but very dark brown! & I can see her gorgeous heart shaped face!her beauty far succeeded all others& I see Natalie Former & myself but with blue eyes truly in Ann- so I know in my heart what she looked like & SHE WAS STUNNING!:)
No, Anne was not conventionally pretty like the other young women at court, but she had beautiful dark eyes and long, thick dark red-brown hair (due to some French ancestry). This, along with her vivacious personality and quick wit, made her very attractive to Henry.
@cocatwoman7 - Sounds like you are talking about Elizabeth and Thomas Seymour. The very foolish Thomas seems to have forced his attentions on Elizabeth. I think the belief that they had a full blown affair is outlandish and totally out of character for the future queen. True they were caught kissing by Catherine Parr, but I don't think that Elizabeth was a really willing participant. In fact, good thing that Parr saw this, as she probably prevented something more disastrous happening.
the one of her with the double chin will not be in keeping with the slender neck, I've never seen anyone with a slender neck troubled with double chins!
This representative of the Ann Boleyn files rightly so should take issue with those other portraits because they are not accurate of the description given of her appearance given in this video nor the coin of her image. But she should also take issue with the portrait she believes is more accurate because it does not match the description of her appearance. The description said she had a swarthy complexion. For those who may not know, Swarthy means dark. So she had a dark complexion. Ann Boleyn did not look like any of these portraits. As for the image on the coin, ask yourself why were the features of her nose and lips tampered with or disfigured unless someone was trying to hide her true appearance?
I do agree with you, though, Claire, (I hope I spelled your name correctly) that the Hever portrait is the one that I tend to think is the most accurate. It's certainly the most becoming and it's how I picture her. And I can see that the woman in that portrait would indeed turn Henry's head! She was very pretty; one of the prettiest of the queens, although I have nothing at all against any of the queens. I think they were ALL victims of Henry, and I only hope they're at peace now. :)
She was a stunning MODERN& TIMELESS BEAUTY!back then fat was beauty but ANNE was thin! - which is what is viewed as beautiful NOW!& she didn't match all the blond/ gold heads of hair or typical face-she was stunning with dark hair & heart sh face!:)
Plump or by today's standards "overweight or curvy" was attractive. Fat has never bee attractive. Henry despised Catherine of Aragon because she was fat, among other things.
Mande Peer, well, if she had ONLY given him a son, he probably wouldn't of despised her so much, and he might of stayed married to her, but, I doubt he would of remained faithful to her anymore than he was before. I've read, don't know if its true, but Catherine had become a dowdy, heavy set woman, and unattractive, so I always wonder, if she had given him an heir and a spare, if he'd stay married to her, but continue on living separate lives unless he felt like eating dinner with her once in awhile.
Proud Kansan Yes I believe he would have stayed married to her and would have told Anne Boleyn that he couldn't get married. I can't say what they would think for real, he was OBSESSED with Anne, so it may have still happened. But his real motive for getting remarried was an heir.
Mande Peer I don't think that's the reason he despised her. She was older than him and had 6-7 pregnancies. It was the fact she didn't give him a son. If she had given him a son, the fact that she was fat wouldn't have had made any difference. Much like proud kansan said.
Renie Taylor In England at that time, fat was not considered beautiful. In fact, one of Henry's complaints about Catherine of Aragon was that she'd become too thick-waisted (nevermind that she'd been pregnant over and over, trying to give him an heir!) In fact, I can't think of any point in English history when thin wasn't the ideal of beauty. It was people on the Continent, particularly the Italians, who preferred plump women.
Excellent job, C.R.! The Hever portrait is certainly the most captivating; it blends a very feminine charm with a sense of wit and intelligence. More, more! (What about a video tracing movie images of Anne? Dorothy Tutin is my favorite all-around Anne, and I find Vanessa Redgrave's the most charismatic. Dormer overdoes the seductress stuff, but that might be the director's fault. )
She was beautiful beyond comparison. I don't think any of them got it right. Personally, I don't think any of the women depicted are beautiful. For Henry to "move mountains" she must have been stunningly beautiful in addition to all her other charms.
Paintings (made contemporary) were often painted not to realise a likeness; but to either flatter the subject or push one's own career. Therefore most portraits of this period except in oblique ways can be discounted as 'showing us' what royal personages looked like.
It is very difficult to imagine what Anne looked like. Also standards change what would have been seen as attractive in 1530 would probably not be seen as attractive now. For instance in the 1930 Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo popularized a lean, hollowed cheek look that has stayed popular. Before that time great beauties would often be quite chubby by today's definitions. After Anne was murdered by Henry( how can it be seen as anything else?) I think she suffered by default, who was going to stand up for her/ Her own father didn't. But it is ridiculous to imagine her as anything but very attractive. Henry had all of England at his disposal why would he choose someone less than attractive? It doesn't make sense. All the negative comments about warts/ extra fingers etc. were written by people who never saw her or long after her death. Written to satisfy Henry and villainize Anne. Those positive comments about her Flashing eyes, long hair, gracefulness etc, are far more believable, She had to have something Henry was obsessed by her for years and that obsession changed History.Incidentally I wonder how many people are aware that the sad Catherine of Aragon was by far the longest lived of Henry's wives. she was 50, the other longest lived was Anne of Cleves who died at 42.
Alan Ellaway If she had been born with an extra finger, it would have been amputated. Women born with 'deformities' were sometimes considered witches. Henry would never have looked twice at her.
A contemporary account said that Anne was not beautiful but was vivacious. The Hever Castle portrait looks a bit too beautiful to me. What struck me in seeing Elizabeth II's image on her tomb in Westminster Abbey is that her face and features (shape and structure) seem similar to Anne Boleyn's though her colouring was like her father Henry VIII.
drepop803 That's probably because hundreds of years ago painters had no concept of bone structure --- as you will seem from paintings such as Botticelli's Venus and Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. They were probably much prettier in real life.
Thank you for exerting your efforts to discover the most accurate depiction from the many renderings available and for pursuing a beautifully truthful understanding of why these paintings are the primary foundation for honestly reviewing her prestigious visage, she was a rare and remarkable woman of her times to pursue the course she became inextricably entwined with her King and her history is the very freedom of religion which we so dearly value and for which and by which she lived and died. I will always admire her persistence and her determination to provide England and her King with the male heir the Tudor lineage sought and I will be forever grateful for Queen Elizabeth I for her unique advances, and it is remarkable that of all of her reign's hallmarks, the one which was a disastrous failure was allowing and encouraging the incorporation of the worst crime any ruler can utiluze, which was "slavery" within the colonies to expedite the settling of the lands to concretize the English claim of those North American continental mysteries which were a place of completely imaginary and mythical possibilities, but they were marred and scarred so severely by slavery so that this tragic disappointing allowance of indecency of one human over another and the degradation of an entire people due to a very successful evolutionary adaptation to survive the damages resultant from harsh exposures to sunlight in the African equatorial regions, but instead it was further misrepresented as a guarantor of inferiority and thus became a pendant of vicious attacks upon them once they arrived already in slavery in the U.S.A.'s precursors of the colonies, but the real crime was designed by another line of royalty in the Gold Coast during those centuries who deliberately reduced the numbers of enemy tribal members by hunting and trapping the very best tribal members, both women and men, to export into the slave trade and so deplete them of their finest leaders, their strongest family lines, and to strike utter fear into their competing neighbors to drive them away from lands which the slavery-trade-supporters could take control of much more easily, as well as dash the neighboring tribal communities into their lesser form following these severe losses of essential hunters-&-gathers-holding-their-tribes'-daily-routines-of-providing-all-their-needs-through-their-journeys-outside-their-encampments-townships-&-cultural-centers, so that Queen Anne Boleyn paved the way for Queen Elizabeth I to regard the development of her colonies through instituting a marriage which bore no ill will toward the foreign lands and nations which would become inextricably entwined in this one decision to incorporate a trade which another royal family promoted and relies relied upon to destroy its enemies while her involvement was designed to encourage her satellite colonies and had it not been for Anne's determination to provide a legitimate-&-legal-heir-for-theur-times there would no doubt have been others who deviated into this slave trade, but it's unique that a Queen with her own difficulties producing an heir legally would be "the one" to reach out and entwined this slavery as a means to legitimize the English claims to the untold foreign lands in the then-dark-continents-of-the-Amerucas, and its colonies in North America would be "the ones" which would suffer longer and deeper, and for This the trap would be set to alleviate the colonies from their foreign parental nation of England, so that in order to "sever these ties that bound them all and 'to become free' became freedom from English rule", which is all the very, very profound nature and portrait of the future of lands and nations springing from these very, very lovely artistic portrayals of the Queen Anne Boleyn, whose place was as brief and tumultuous as the future was long and which hosted the social-&-political-eruptions born from those passionate beginnings of potent Tudor choices, which are now closing in on another millennium of history being utterly entwined with those fateful choices having disastrous repercussions, while most of her entire reign is still known for her building an England of such power and renaissance style advances so that these two comparative points are completely out of balance with each other!!! I see all of this when I view Anne Bloeyn's portraits and because of this, I truly appreciate acquiring the best vantage point and vision of her visage, for she set stages long after her reign and her footprints and those of her daughter are still echoing clearly in our USA history today, thank you for your thorough and compelling accuracy in searching history "for her true face"!!! I apologize for the s pulling errors, I do proofread accurately, but I am constantly hacked-stalked-plagiarized-&-trolled so that all of my best efforts to edit are predictably thwarted by the co-conspirators plotting to destroy my reputation, my posts accuracies and truths, and my communications with any one else, so that these criminals-&-abusers may try to claim their reputation from the damages, isolation, and technological-kidnapping which I am forced to endure,... Best Wishes and I look forward to further posts and videos by your esteemed authorship and by your devotion to the integrity of your impeccable degree of investigative research which inspires such admiration and loyalty!!! Thank you, again, thank you!!!
Very thought provoking discussion. I would imagine that Elizabeth would have had an accurate portrayal of Anne contained in the ring she wore. What bothers me in the Cheke rendering is that the hair appears somewhat blond! Alas, it looks like my favorite portrait-the one in the National Gallery-is not an accurate rendering of Anne. Have to agree with you re: Hever. I think that is the closest we can hope to get, and it is quite a nice painting, as well.
national portrait depicts light brown eyes. she also looks like a character on the simpsons. the portraits all appear to depict different people! Eye color - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_color "Jump to Hazel - Hazel eyes are due to a combination of Rayleigh scattering and a moderate amount of melanin in the iris' anterior border layer. Hazel eyes often appear to shift in color from a brown to a green. Although hazel mostly consists of brown and green, the dominant color in the eye can either be brown/gold or green."
That must have been so precious to Elizabeth.
Why didn't she pardon her and give her a decent burial once she was Queen? That's always puzzled me!!
@@garyyoung9085 probably because of public opinion. Perhaps she was being strategic.
@@niamhnidhalaigh5861 Exactly. Elizabeth was constantly weighing her decisions based on what she thought public opinion would be.
@@jamesaron1967that’s so heartbreaking the public wouldn’t allow their queen to bury their dead.
@@MagklJellyBeanPastelLucidDream The truth is Elizabeth could have done almost anything if she chose to, though there's always a price. The problem was that England was still very much embroiled in a religious conflict despite having quieted to some degree following Mary's death. If Elizabeth decided to honor her mother by giving her a proper burial, it may have incited a new round of political unrest. Combined with the undercurrent of religious tension she probably did not want to stir the honest's nest. She faced a near-constant threat to her reign as it was. Nice eye, BTW.
I absolutely love that Elizabeth carried the pictures of her mother. I think, for her entire life, Elizabeth felt her mother’s presence. These are all very beautiful images. I can imagine Anne’s eyes were the keys to her beauty❤️
Edit: the Holbein drawing reminds me so much of our Princess Anne, and of Princess Margaret.
I think that the Holbein image is the true image of Anne. It was sketched by a royal painter and it was done during her lifetime. She was pregnant three times at least before she was killed, so perhaps she was fuller in the sketch because she was pregnant when she was being drawn.
Agreed. Also, "Anne", is sitting with her chin tucked in.
Also agree ✨
Agree as well. I love Holbein’s portraits, as I find them so detailed. Because of the detail, it seems to me these would be more accurate. As you said, she might have been very pregnant at the time.
Hans Holbein goes around the world...
agreed, not to mention that those undergarments for the neck piece seem to fasten just under the chin - which is bound to create some unflattering angles if so
So many people i wish I could go back in time and look at to see what they truly looked like!!
My money's on Hans Holbein. That dude knew how to make a portrait. And in any case, maybe he made the sketch towards the end of her life when she had gained a little weight in the jaw. It's not so different from the other portraits, just more realistically done.
I agree. Unlike the National Portrait Gallery image, Holbein's drawings and portraits are not stiff and stylized; they reflect a desire to come as close to [what we think of as] a photographic likeness of the subject as was achievable at that time. Just contrast a Holbein portrait with any typical portrait from that period; Holbein's looks like a real person; the other does not.
I totally agree. The Holbein drawing is clearly a working drawing for a later painting that wasn’t made. It’s more likely to be the most realistic.
I think that Holbein's sketch was made when Anne was pregnant and somewhat puffy. This would be accentuated by the fact that at least in some cases the coifs or headdresses were held in place by a tight cord, strap, or ribbon that passed from side to side under the chin. Examples can be clearly seen in the contemporary portraits of (a) Margaret Wyatt, Lady Lee, (b) Queen Katherine Howard, and (c) Anne Parr, Lady Herbert at www.tudorsdynasty.com/tudor-womens-hair-headpieces/
Marcel please people stop judging how people look back then, stop saying they’re ugly, you clearly don’t understand the beauty standard back then, I mean we don’t consider it beautiful today, also it’s a different than ours.
Velcome to ze house!
My theory is that Anne Boleyn's hair was very dark brown, just one shade lighter than black, and showed red highlights where the light hit it. I knew someone with hair like that.
History records that Anne had black hair, & dark eyes
People nicknamed her " The night crow" i had an ancestor at the Tudor court, he was auditor to Jane Seymours brothers, was thanked by the fat usurper, for saving him, £1000 in wages! My ancestor did very well out of the dissolution of the monasteries, i am ashamed to be related to him, as a dyed in the wool Yorkist.
My hair is exactly like that. Under the sun people usually think i have some type of red hair. But its copper brown.
My hair is that colour.
@@amandac.d.a.2837 mine is the same. Dark brown with red tints in sunlight. But my hair has been called black.
I have hair like that. Very dark brown: labeled as black, but in the light, especially the sun, my hair looks mahogany bright red.
I am a Filipino born and raised in the 🇵🇭 Philippines,
Living recently in Japan 🇯🇵, I started to watch documentaries about English histories and documentaries, I adore Queen Elizabeth I (the 1st)😌 according to history and as far as what the documentaries I have seen😊
What ever what Queen Ann Boleyn looks likes in real life🥰😍 it will never changed that the history of what the GREAT QUEEN ELIZABETH the FIRST (QUEEN ELIZABETH I ) is the first great Queen of them all🥰❤️
BEAUTIFUL IN MY EYES, AND EVERY EYES OF EVERYBODY WHO BELIEVES IN HER🥰
Thank you🙏
Fun fact: In the first Harry Potter movie, if you look closely in one of the scenes (I think it is the moving stair case scene), you can see a portrait of Anne Boleyn. I think this may have been a reference to her being accused of being a witch.
At the very least, it holds a striking resemblance to the National Portrait Gallery portrait.
On a more related note, I think it would be very cool if a portrait of Anne Boleyn appeared- one that was painted when she was alive. As far as I know, no contemporary portraits of her have been found. I could be wrong, so please feel free to correct me.
+TokyoQueen this is infact true! Harry Potter wikia informs us so, it also implies that she was actually a squib rather than a witch
TokyoQueen I noticed the same thing when I watched it! She would have likely been a Slytherin or Ravenclaw.
What the honest fuck with stating the phrase, "fun fact", and then talking about a fantasy movie?
Hollylivengood uhh, maybe because its a fun fact about the movie?!
TokyoQueen also Mary, she's in a portrait at hogwarts.
Awww... that tiny picture that Elizabeth had made broke my heart.
I was lucky enough to see the locket ring at an exhibition in Paris and it is tiny. The portraits are the size of my little fingernail. It is beautiful.
She really must have missed her mother alot
🌞
@@anneboleynfiles 🌞
@@anneboleynfiles I would love to see the locket ring. It is so touching to see that Elizabeth had this ring made of her mother, who died when she was only three years old.
One reason not mentioned for the Holbein portrait being so casual, & "scrofulous" - i.e., *swollen* - is that she could *very well* have been pregnant; she certainly was when she was crowned!
That's what I thought too. She must have been too exhausted and swollen from the pregnancy to want to wear fine, tight fitting and heavy clothes.
Rosie Stevens Yes, that could account for the double chin too, water retention. Plus the relaxed state of undress. Mind you, Anne is said to have complained bitterly about the loss of her figure, style icon that she was...perhaps she was after setting a new fashion for pregnant ladies?
Fiona Beswick Yes that's a cool theory, who knows :-) There are lots of people who say the sketch is not Anne, and I think it is mainly people who are just a bit disappointed that this sketch doesn't have the same sexual allure and striking beauty of the Hever castle portrait, it sort of ruins their romanticized view of Anne. I am not saying Anne was unattractive by any means, I am just pointing out that focusing too much on one portrait can be unwise, as it might not depict her as accurately as another portrait does. I think that the best way to gain an idea of what someone like Anne looked like is to pick similar traits in each portrait/sketch of her, to gain a better idea of her actual appearance. Also, a lot of people complained that John Cheke (Edward VI's tutor) mislabelled many sketches, but personally I doubt he would mislabel someone as important as Anne, and he most likely knew what she looked like too.
Oh and another reason why Anne's chin might look swollen on the sketch is because her bonnet has a string that ties around it? A lot of Tudor women's headdresses and bonnets have a string that fastens underneath their chins in portraits, and it often makes them look a bit swollen in that region. The Holbein miniature of Katherine Howard is a good example, you can see it looks rather tight. Might be the same for Anne in the sketch.
Rosie Stevens hey interesting about the string..I just tried it myself. and when your chin is tucked in, even if your neck is slim, it does make a bulge.
Fiona Beswick Yes exactly, and they were all about tightness back in those days so I assume that is a contributing factor to Anne's swollen looking chin.
The same day Harry married, on the anniversary of the beheading of Anne Boleyn May 19. Rest in peace Anne Boleyn
Look up coincodences between him and Henry VIII it's creepy
Mila Cruz Harry Diana's son?
@@jiminsthighsrapmonsdimples6240 yes, Diana’s son did marry on May 19.
I remember reading somewhere that the drawing of Anne was (or possibly was) made when she was pregnant. To me it looks the same as the others, but with more weight on the face, which would be consistent with pregnancy.
+S Kandy If you look very carefully at the Holbein sketch (zoom in), it is not hair, it is the coif,which is the foundation of the hood, or the trim.
I agree with you. I have read so much over the last decade about Anne and studied every single thing ever written about her and her appearance including readingthat this is her during pregnancy. The sketch was also ID’d by someone who knew Anne during Anne’s life - ID’d after her death but by a friend. I believe the Holbein sketch to be the most accurate and intimate.
But come to think of it, some people don't speak very plainly nowadays.
It has been said she was not conventionally beautiful compared to most women at court. BUT was considered to have an exotic look that was considered sexy and different. She stood out. Her unique beauty was not the only thing she had going for her. She was well trained in the french court. ladies in waiting were not only trained to take care of their mistresses but they generally had a higher education and were trained in the art of conversation. People back then did not speak as plainly as people do now. Read any diary entry or letter from back then and you will see that the art of conversing was apart of every day life. And she was a very good communicator who used more than just her mouth. She was not only stylish but she was smart, funny and witty. The king could have had any pretty girl he wanted. But she was far more sexy than any "pretty" girl at court. She had the whole package and Henry wanted her. She also played hard to get at first by refusing to simply become his mistress making her even more desirable. Everyone wants what they can't have. Also, people need to understand that Anne did not get on the thrown all by herself. Families at court were willing to do anything to conspire in order to gain wealth and power for their families. When Henry ordered the execution of Anne Boelyn, they also executed members of her family. The accusations were simply a cover up for the real reasons she was executed. Which will probably never be set in stone. I guess there are some history mysteries that will never be solved and that's one reason why so many people are fascinated by her.
There is a great difference between being beautiful and being attractive as any clever woman knows. Beauty is transient but women like Anne Boleyn, Elinor of Aquitaine,Wallace Simpson had something far less superficial,the ability to fascinate.
Kathryn Gilstrap 90
she was plain and not good looking at all. her friends wrote that about her. Also as said before paintings of royalty were often done to make the subject appear better looking or more regal. This was a woman who did nothing of any worth. She ran after a married man and paid the price. Why is everyone acting as though she was someone special? I get that someone who runs a site on the second wife of Henry 8th is obsessed for some reason, but this was not a woman of any historical importance.
60toodles "This was not a woman of any historical importance". You are talking about the woman who lead the king to decide for the severance of the Church of England. And please, do not forget that she is the mother of the woman who became the most known, loved, remembered queen of England. The same queen which lead the nation to a prosperity never seen before. She is the mother of the queen of the Golden Age. I wouldn't say Anne Boleyn is of no importance.
Do you want to know why some people described her as not good looking (and please keep in mind that she hadn't got a good reputation, so people tended to exaggerate)? She had dark hair, dark eyes and a small bosom, also her skin wasn't pale. Her lips were not thin and her mouth was not small. Do you want to know what you required to be considered beautiful? Light blonde hair, light eyes, pale skin, prosperous breasts, small mouth. A woman had to be modest. A woman had to serve and shut up. Anne wasn't modest. She spoke her mind. The king was attracted to that, she was attractive in a different way, she was intelligent a fierce. He loved it at first, then it became to much.
"Anne did not get on the thrown...."??? On the THROWN???
I think the best likeness we'll ever see (unless given permission to exhume her remains and do a facial reconstruction) is Elizabeth's portraits. She definitely appears to look more like her mother than her father.
+S Kandy The remains in the chancel were exhumed in the 19th century (1876-7) when conservation work was being done on the chapel. The floor in that area was sinking so they had to be dug up. What they found was not a jumble of bones, they found bones grouped together which suggests that the remains were indeed buried in coffins, or, in Anne's case, in an elm chest used for bow staves. The bones found in the spot recorded as being the spot where Anne was buried in 1536 were of a female and two men were buried to the right of her (as you look at the chancel), which fits where the Dukes of Somerset and Northumberland were recorded as being buried. These were important people so they were buried respectfully and in coffins.
There are also remains in the crypt, which were found in what used to be the graveyard of the chapel.
I have read somewhere that Elizabeth was described by someone that saw her as having her dad's coloring but her mother's face.
Nah I disagree. I've found many facial reconstructions of John and Jane Does who were later identified to not actually look like them.
The image on the locket looks surprisingly similar to paintings of Elizabeth I.
Ann Boleyn was the mother of Queen Elizabeth I
@@cherylanderegg1690 yeah we know, Cpt Obvious....when I saw the miniature, I also thought that it looked more like QE1 even though I know they looked like one another from accounts I've read. But when you see it, so vividly, it does take your breath away.
From the paintings I've seen, I always thought that she looked like her mother.
laken1804 I agree, that’s exactly what I thought of her.
I agree with you Claire, when I think of Anne Boleyn I instantly think of the Hever image. All up, a great video, well researched with a pleasant smooth voice i could listen to for hours!
it's a pity the women in the court ganged up against her. Women can be so terrible to each other. She so obviously lost the game of thrones
+Aiodhan O'Connellan Come on we both know that men don't really go at it like women go at it, I have seen women tear each other apart just for fun. Men hardly ever do that and I have 5 older brothers so I know this for a fact.
*****
oh come on! what do guys fight each other over then? I must have missed something then if guys pick on each other like women do.
*****
LOL are you serious? that is what you got? No I am not pulling your leg, but thanks for making me laugh and the only person who made themselves look like a moron is you. Have an awesome day.
+Starlee Midnight If you had ever stood outside a public house at closing time you would have your answer. A bloke with a few pints inside him will fight over anything and nothing, Men beat up gay's. they fight over women, football, any thing will do. You must have led a very sheltered life my friend.
bella donna
LOL I wish sadly I grew up in the streets of LA, I am far from sheltered, I have seen a lot of messed up things girls do just for 'fun' but I have never seen guys act like that maybe once in a while but not just for the hell of it. but yet again I grew up in an all girls school so it might be different for me eh
Anne Boleyn actually had dark auburn hair, not black hair. The description of her with black hair was written by one of her enemies during a time when black hair was very unbecoming for a woman. That same man also attributed Anne with having an extra finger (or nail) and several ugly moles on her neck, so he was clearly already biased about the lady'a appearance. This is why Elizabeth' hair was so red. Henry's hair was more or a strawberry-blond, not a true vibrant red like Elizabeth's.
i2Bwitchy my whole life has been a life. This entire time I thought she was this sensual raven haired woman when in fact she was a redhead?? Goddamn
its obvious she's Auburn! why anyone would think differently is beyond me.
i2Bwitchy People with black hair can produce red-headed offspring, especially if the other parent has red hair as well
@@katherineherrera5867 both parents have to have the red hair gene to get a red haired baby
take the dirt off the painting and the Auburn gets brighter
Fascinating idea! I'd never seen the Hever portrait of Ann, and, being an artist who works in the Renaissance/Classical style, I've spent years studying portraiture. Even with the feature distortions which were fashionable in painting at the time, the Hever portrait certainly shows a stunningly beautiful woman, with Ann's described black hair and eyes. All the features add up...I think you're absolutely right. Brilliant! And, thank you for sharing this!
Have you ever seen the portrait of Anne Boleyn they have in Florence at the Uffizi Gallery? The De Medici family were rather nosey and they sent their artists all over Europe to paint the portraits of leaders and notable figures of their times. They have Henry and Anne both. The portraits hang from the ceiling beams in the corridors of the Uffizi gallery and often go unnoticed. What I found particularly fascinating about them was that they were done in the Italian style, not the English style at the time, in addition they were commissioned by others so weren't designed to flatter particularly. It gives a different but recognizable perspective.
www.flickr.com/photos/33317700@N07/4637133201
I went there a long time ago but can't remember seeing it back then, but I have seen the one of Anne online. As you say, it's a very different style.
Thank you!
My history professor told me about those portraits, so I paid special attention to them when I was able to visit the gallery. They have Henry VIII and I believe Elizabeth I. I appreciated the altered perspective. As much as I admire the Hans Holbein the younger style of portraiture, it was so dominant at the time that it had a slightly homaginizing effect on the court portraits. (At least to my mind) That and the tendency to copy older works through the generations as well as the Royal ability to require a certain perspective from the artist. I have been disappointed that the Uffizi portraits get as little attention as they do. One has to know they are there when at the gallery to truly get the significance or even notice them. They never seem to be examined very closely as an interesting perspective on the time period from an academic perspective. At least not that I've encountered in English or French. Sadly my Italian is only good enough to ensure that I don't get egg on my pizza.
Yes, portraits in other country's collections do tend to get neglected. One of my favourite Anne Boleyn portraits is a French one - see es.pinterest.com/pin/167829523584354574/ or www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/anneboleyn1533.jpg
Ha! Yes, I can ask for a glass of red wine and a slice of four cheese pizza in Italian!
The Anne Boleyn Files That is wonderful! thank you for sharing! 😀
I love these videos that show what these past figures would most likely have looked like. You can't help but try to picture it in your mind when you read about them.
The sketch by Holbein and the miniature by Lucas represent her true appearance. The others are portraits painted by people after her death, who never saw her. She may have had a goiter later in her marriage or a double chin. I think her face was thinner before her pregnancies. It is thought that the Holbein sketch was painted while she was pregnant. She was not a beauty, but attractive when she was dressed in the best clothing and hoods. Her gifts were of wit, charm and intelligence. She also said what she thought and this charmed her husband at first, but irritated him when she failed to produce a son. The Hever Castle portrait is lovely but not an accurate representation of Anne Boleyn.
The portrait at 2:36 simply isn't a likeness. Anne never lived into her mid-forties, clearly the age of the sitter for this painting. The AB necklace could have been added later, maybe not much after Anne's death, in order to pass of the picture off as one of Anne Boleyn. That sort of thing happened *all the time* in those days. Or it could have been inherited by the sitter. Perhaps this picture is of a relative. At any rate, I don't believe the picture can be taken at all seriously as a likeness of Anne Boleyn.
At 3:15 we see a Holbein. This artist was known for his incredibly faithful portraits and we can be sure that whoever the sitter was, this picture is a wonderful representation of her. However, while this piece comes from a portfolio of drawings of the luminaries of Henry VIII's time, we can't be entirely sure that the names written on them are the correct ones for all the sitters. This is because they were added a couple of centuries later by an unknown art dealer (I don't know where this narrator got her info. It's incorrect). In considering whether this is indeed Henry's second wife, one thing to note is the simple privy-chamber cap worn by the sitter. How unlike the fabulous hoods favored by royal and court women of the day! I personally find it difficult to believe Anne, given what we know of her pride and luxury, would have allowed the royal portraitist in to her private chambers to draw her before she had even completed her toilet. I think the narrator is absolutely right to be skeptical of this work.
4:22 is clearly someone other than Elizabeth's mother. Too many portraits show Anne as looking strikingly like her daughter to believe she could have as different a face as this. If we're going to believe the assertion that only royalty had miniatures made (which is poppycock, by the way - just google English miniatures from this period and you'll find dozens of non-royal miniatures), we could perhaps take it to be Catherine Howard, but it does not look much even like her; Mary Boleyn is a much better guess. I don't know why anybody would identify this person as Anne Boleyn.
There's another portrait often erroneously identified Anne Boleyn, which can be seen here - speedy.theanneboleynfiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/anne-holbein-mrxlg.jpg Again, we see a portrait that has nothing in common with the first four shown in this video and which looks nothing like Elizabeth.
I suppose I agree with the narrator's conclusion, though it's possible that in the National Gallery portrait, the hair and eyes have faded over time, becoming more transparent, revealing the under-painting beneath, a phenomenon called "pentimento." This happened to many artist's pigments in those days, up to the late 18th century. Still, as much as it resembles Elizabeth, this painting is posthumous and we can't be sure whether it was copied from one done from life.
EyeLean5280 what a stupid thing to say..." Anne never lived into her mid-forties, clearly the age of the sitter for this painting. " you have no way of backing up that statement that the sitter is in her forties. Also, who says Anne had to sit for the Holbein portrait..an artist of skill who knew her could have easily done this portrait with out her present.
Greenish Frog
Okay, so the sitter _could_ be in her early 40's, (but also as old as her early 50s, if quite well preserved for her time). But there are clear signs of aging beyond 35, Anne's age upon death. Certainly, the sitter looks visibly older than a confirmed portrait of Anne done only 2 1/2 years before her execution.
Your hypothesis that Holbien could have done a portrait in the queen's absence is a better point. You are absolutely correct about that - Holbein both knew her and had a number of sketches he'd done of her he could work from.
But on the other hand, he wasn't in the habit of making women look older than they were (for who would want such an image?), so without concrete evidence (as you yourself demand of me), I'm still inclined toward my own speculative interpretation, rather than yours.
Finally, what on earth is the point of such incredibly poor manners? Why the need to call people you disagree with "stupid"? What is your problem? Can't you exchange ideas with others like an adult?
EyeLean5280 They aged a lot quicker back then. No sunscreen, didn't bath much, used lead based make up.
EyeLean5280 'Poor manners' is correct. I don't know why some people find it necessary to be so strident in their criticism of others. A simple 'I don't agree' would suffice. It is generally agreed among art historians and art restorers that the Holbein sketch is not of Anne Boleyn. As you have previously stated she would not have tolerated a sketch made of herself wearing a simple cap - apparently the lady was very fashion conscious. Fine sketch as it is, as is everything done by this fine draftsman it is not one of Anne Boleyn.
jane Doe You make good points (though ladies did stay out of the sun). But they did have unhealthy diets, more childhood illnesses, etc.
I absolutely agree. The Hever portrait is my favorite. Anne looks beautiful.
Hi Claire, I love your website. I've been reading it often as I binge watch the Tudors. I'm disappointed that Natalie Dormer didn't wear dark contacts for the role in the Tudors because Anne's flashing, intelligent dark eyes were a big part of her physical appeal. But then again, so was Henry's reddish blond hair that he got from his grandmother. Jonathan Rhys Meyer's dark hair and slender build look nothing like the corpulent blonde monarch. He was a pork bun for much of his life and JRM is cute but too buff and wiry to play the royal meatball. What do you think about Antonia Frasier's book on the 6 wives of Henry VIII? Did you read it? If not, it is worth checking out. I found it fun and interesting to read.
I just started watching the tutors a few weeks ago. And King Henry the 8th is right now married to Anne Boleyn. I've been looking at the actress wondering if she actually looked anything like the queen. I'm so happy I ran across this. It is answered the questions that have been running through my mind.
I loved it. Learned a lot. Thank you for sharing.
Someone needs to paint a portrait of the national portrait gallery, and place it in the national portrait gallery, then people can go to the national portrait gallery to see the portrait of the national portrait gallery.
can't believe I stumbled onto this channel..I love and have studied English histories, fascinated w Anne..so much so, I took the name Boleyn as my middle when I was confirmed..to the person who coom enter on resurrecting Annes bones for a reconstruction,,THAT WOULD B A DREAM COME TRUE..I have wondered endlessly about her true looks and have stuck w the image of Natalie Dormer..not so much the physical appearance , but rather Annes spirit and tenacity ..as well as her ruthless pursuit of that crown..he was quite something..changed the course of British history
Thank you! I enjoyed your video! I've always felt a bit sad for Ann Boleyn. She tried so hard. I'm a huge fan of history. My own family, was a large part of it.
The way I imagine anne is her appearance from six lol
Thank you so much. I really appreciate your research.
They're doing a facial reconstruction of Anne thought you'd find that interesting.
They're actually not, Anne is not being exhumed and her skull has never been used in this way. There's been a picture of Emily Pooley's waxwork of Anne Boleyn doing the rounds on social media as a "facial reconstruction", but it's not, it's a creative work. Emily was inspired by the Holbein sketches and then used a friend as a model. See www.theanneboleynfiles.com/facial-reconstruction-anne-boleyn-no/
+The Anne Boleyn Files Oh sorry
probably just as wee, we really don't need to go around digging people up, just to satisfy our curosity of how someone may have really looked like.
+emma duncan
Yes, thank you. All those laid to rest should be left alone and not exhumed out of curiosity over something so superficial. Anne Boleyn was used and betrayed by all the men in her life. Her father and uncle were grasping and underhanded, and literally whored Anne and Mary out in a play to elevate their status. I believe that Henry was too quick to believe the lies and had he not been so prideful and remembered why he fell in love with her, he could have been the only man in her life who had nothing to lose or gain for standing by her. King Henry should have investigated her father and her slimy uncle and brother. RIP Queen Anne💐 . And, to all Henry.s queens. They had so much to endure, especially towards the middle where he was a big smelly repugnant fat ass.
To the women who had to put up with his shit🍸🍸🍸
None will be forgotten.
Grace Futrell Ann Boleyn's bones lie in a jumble of human remains - all execution victims - beneath a chapel on the Tower grounds. A facial reconstruction is not remotely possible.
The large neck/double chin could mean hypothyroidism - which would explain why she had trouble getting pregnant after Elizabeth, and the miscarriages she had.
WTF-what large neck and double chin? Are you mad?
@@KVeneris Yeah its called a GOITER ...go look it up instead of being rude to someone
Hi, interesting analysis! I wonder if anyone has taken into account the beautiful Holbein portrait "thought to be Anne Boleyn"? (I'll attempt to post a link to it!) For me it has several features which fit well with the other portraits and written descriptions: the long face, graceful neck, very dark eyes and eyebrows suggesting black hair, and, at least to our modern eyes, attractive appearance which does not however fit in the with the contemporary idea of a "fair lady". There is a slight fullness about the chin which fits the other Holbein portrait and the coronation description (pregnancy can do horrible things to one!!) and she is wearing an English hood which is not usually associated with this Francophile, but which she is on record as having worn on at least one occasion (her execution alas). I think we also have to remember that so much of what makes a person attractive is in their movements, laughter, smile, and all of this is lacking in a portrait. As well as her undoubtedly attractive appearance she was almost certainly a very able, accomplished and sophisticated flirt, all fascination and no vulgarity. www.wikipaintings.org/en/hans-holbein-the-younger/portrait-of-a-lady-thought-to-be-anne-boleyn
I love that one because it looks just like me.
Great video and I agree with your pick. I did see an explanation of the ring Elizabeth wore and other portraits that existed...that Elizabeth herself commissioned them and without accurate portraits of descriptions of her she asked that they use her own likeness to create portraits of Anne?
I do hate agreeing with Starkey but Holbiens sketch is Ann Bullin.
agree, I think that one is beautiful because it's so real-looking and the woman in the picture seems very wistful,
Great video. After reading your books it's unreal to hear your voice. My fav won out.
Imagine they would find one. It would be the biggest sensation in hundreds of years. Or of they found some more information, one more piece of the puzzle that would connect to something else again. That would be so great!
you do realize people's features change as they age or when they pregnant.
I like to think that Anne's hair was a dark brown or chestnut colored, because, back then, "Dark could have meant any range of colors, just in the darker form of then. It may have also been black, but because of how Anne's image was besmirched in any way possible, she naturally would have been made raven-haired, as that was a sign of evil. So more current portraits of her would be made to fit that image of a raven-haired temptress.
Did painters at the time paint lips smaller intentionally?
elmonumi yes they did paint the length of mouth smaller. but the size of the lips the thickness of them is quite good
Private Private :: OMG!!!! TMI!!!!
@Private Private YEAH T.M.I. Whats wrong with you?
It was how women did their lip makeup, I think.
They probably seem thin coz we have gotten used to plastic blow up doll women with lip fillers
The Hever rose portrait is also the one that makes her look the prettiest, and for that reason alone I would dismiss it. I think the Holbein sketch is probably spot on of what Anne look like. I also take into consideration his reputation as being one of the finest artists of his time.
I thought it was generally believed that Henry and his advisors had every painting of Anne destroyed and that most portraits were painted using a likeness to Elizabeth but coloring her hair and eyes based on surviving descriptions? Are these painting scientifically dated?
chookfeather, no, they are all just reproductions of what the artists thought she looked like, or perhaps there was one or two portraits around and they copied those, and since the late Queen Anne was so despised and hated, they made her look ugly. The only way that I will be satisfied, and it probably will be a cold day in hell if this ever happens, but I wish they would dig/disinter the bodies, take photos of their skulls and do a computer generated recreation of their faces like they do with crime victims who's skeletal remains have been found.
Proud Kansan I would dearly love to see that happen Proud Kansan.
+Proud Kansan I am really surprised that there were no DEATH MASKS created of Royalty of the day. It was popular in the 15th and 16th Centuries among the wealthy and nobles. That sure would have helped out.
+Proud Kansan I think this would be an interesting read for you. Check it out. www.theanneboleynfiles.com/anne-boleyn%E2%80%99s-body-found/
+S Kandy Yes true...though since she was tried convicted and beheaded for treason I have to wonder if her supporters or even people with paintings of her in private collections would have also destroyed them out of fear. It's something to wonder about though - if someone who did not fear Henry's wrath would have secreted away a true portrait of her.
+The Anne Boleyn Files and Tudor Society; when you showed the Hans Holbein drawing, something struck me. Yes, I know the showing off writers, names have changed over time, bit, I was struck first by the showing of 'Bolleyn 'as 'Bollein', and the fact that this was drawn by hand Ho...B-E-I-N'. Perhaps there's a reason for the name to be spelt as such, and then the lights of labelling it, 'Queen'.
I love her. Its so sad that history painted her in a false way, but Im so glad that people like you are here to speak her truth.❤
i know this i just wish they would have drawn people like anne to thier full beauty
I have a feeling a contemporary portrait of Anne Boleyn exists today somewhere...
Loved the show thank you
I just found your channel. As an "armchair historian" ☺ I'm thrilled. One of my visual comparisons that I have found most interesting are Anne Boleyn's hands in portraiture compared to Elizabeth I's hands. I find it particularly interesting when using Queen Elizabeth I portrait of her at 13 by "unknown" as the comparison. Biographical information will speak of both mother and daughter having the same "black" eyes, but she had her father's red hair and fair complexion. I have read in biographies that Queen Elizabeth I thought her hands were one of her best features and always wanted them displayed in portraiture. Comparing portraits, it can be said that mother and daughter shared this delicate feature. I have wondered if it was a true life comparison or an affectation assigned by the portrait artist. I look forward to learning more from your videos and website.
I love the picture that shows her hands. Elizabeth is said to have long fingers and beautiful hands and in this portrait so does Anne.
I hear that Elizabeth I had died,it was really a male,that's why she didn't have childre.
I’m a descendant of Catherine Parr! I go through her aunt’s line! Unfortunately Catherine Parr isn’t in the line of being queen or related to a monarch :(
Very interesting ---thank you.There is another sketch by Hans Holbein which does not appear in this gallery of images and in my opinion is the most likely candidate as the best likeness of Anne.She is shown wearing a gable- hooded head-dress and facing to the right.Her profile can be clearly seen and the likeness to her father Thomas is inescapable.The eyes are dark and the brows too with the eyes slightly heavy lidded but attractive.The sketch names anne as the sitter and is signed by Holbein.
clare foy showed the petulant selfish side of anne along with the brave acceptance of her fate in wolf hall 2015.
I can't wait to see that
Mande Peer it was pretty good it was mainly about Cromwell though
Ahem. YOU don't know that she HAD a "petulant" side. Claire Foy is an actress, paid to interpret a script, not a historian. Do you have any concept of what her life was like, besieged by enemies desperate to take her down, spies and conspirators at every turn, hoping for a chance to betray her ?? Not seeing how that makes her anxiety or fear "petulant". :( Anne's last words were brave and were praise for the maniac that had her executed so he could move on to the next wife. No petulance there.
I agree with you that that portait is what I see when I see Anne in my head.
Very interesting, thank you.
The above portrait is the one on my local pub the boleyn
I love your website, I didn't know you were here too! You are more learned on the subject than I am, but all of Holbein's work speaks to me of a man with a natural talent. I have an uncle as well as my Dad who can both capture a person's look in a few effortless strokes of the pencil. Maybe Queen Anne is a little chubby in HH's sketch due to a pregnancy. The face tends to become more full when we are expecting. I like your choice too.
I am with you in imagining her as she is on Hever Castle portrait. (I'm doing the cross stitch of this portrait at the moment :)) But as to the miniature being of her sister Mary - maybe it still could be Anne but much younger when people still have some plumpness around their face, as in late teens, and then faces become more defined and chiselled looking, features take more definition in 20s and 30s - hence the miniature features differing from other, more adult depictions of Anne.
Hever's Castle portrait is so beautiful, Next time I go to England, I will pay my respect to Queen Anne Boleyn. I could not resist and bought a brooch with a reproduction of that painting. I can't wait to see the original.
Anne had an oval face with an olive complexion. If she as black I would need to check her family history before I can confirm. She had dark almond eyes with apparently thin lips, high cheekbones and dark hair. She has a long neck and people did state she had moles on her neck. She was thin and had small breast. She wasnt really tall so she was medium in height.
She was not black, she was born in England and her nationality is English, she was rise by her English family.
The chalk drawing looks like the Nid Hall portrait. I think the Nid Hall portrait was the original, the Hever castle, and National portrait Gallery were a copy by memory of Nid Hall portrait. The last miniature is also Anne. The computer program said the Nid Hall portrait matches the medal.
Hope they will introduce the closest portrait to Anne Boleyn in the National Gallery inorder to enliven of what she really looks like even just a bit; rather than present a far from the person's true likeness. It helps us imagine her true face, you know.
If you arfe going on actual accounts reported by people at court they were quite similar.
Dark hair, dark eyes, long neck, small breasts, and slender. Accounts also say that she was not considered the typical beauty, but had great wit, and fiery. I don't think you will ever truly know because a medal or a coin does not depict any true likeness. I am sure that there were paintings along with other things connected to her, but they were destroyed at Henry VIII's request. She will be a mystery
Many paintings are faded but it is clear she was aside from the rest that had red or gold hair but very dark brown! & I can see her gorgeous heart shaped face!her beauty far succeeded all others& I see Natalie Former & myself but with blue eyes truly in Ann- so I know in my heart what she looked like & SHE WAS STUNNING!:)
If the woman in the Chequers ring is Anne why does her hair look auburn instead of black?
No, Anne was not conventionally pretty like the other young women at court, but she had beautiful dark eyes and long, thick dark red-brown hair (due to some French ancestry). This, along with her vivacious personality and quick wit, made her very attractive to Henry.
True. It was said that she looked A LOT like Natalie Dormer, the one who played Anne in the tudors.
Thank You. 🕊❣🔥🙏
@cocatwoman7 - Sounds like you are talking about Elizabeth and Thomas Seymour. The very foolish Thomas seems to have forced his attentions on Elizabeth. I think the belief that they had a full blown affair is outlandish and totally out of character for the future queen. True they were caught kissing by Catherine Parr, but I don't think that Elizabeth was a really willing participant. In fact, good thing that Parr saw this, as she probably prevented something more disastrous happening.
the one of her with the double chin will not be in keeping with the slender neck, I've never seen anyone with a slender neck troubled with double chins!
Sometimes when sunlight shines on a dark brunette head of hair it appears chestnut or auburn because of the red highlights.
This representative of the Ann Boleyn files rightly so should take issue with those other portraits because they are not accurate of the description given of her appearance given in this video nor the coin of her image. But she should also take issue with the portrait she believes is more accurate because it does not match the description of her appearance. The description said she had a swarthy complexion. For those who may not know, Swarthy means dark. So she had a dark complexion. Ann Boleyn did not look like any of these portraits. As for the image on the coin, ask yourself why were the features of her nose and lips tampered with or disfigured unless someone was trying to hide her true appearance?
Very important informations .. Thank you for your amazing research!
long neck , isn't there an irony
Thank you for sharing
I really enjoy your videos Claire .And love you English accent .
Whats weird is that there are no hired portriats back then of these people. They were so high in stature yet, nada.
I do agree with you, though, Claire, (I hope I spelled your name correctly) that the Hever portrait is the one that I tend to think is the most accurate. It's certainly the most becoming and it's how I picture her. And I can see that the woman in that portrait would indeed turn Henry's head! She was very pretty; one of the prettiest of the queens, although I have nothing at all against any of the queens. I think they were ALL victims of Henry, and I only hope they're at peace now. :)
Now that you mentioned it. I realised that she was the most attractive, the other ones look boring.
She was a stunning MODERN& TIMELESS BEAUTY!back then fat was beauty but ANNE was thin! - which is what is viewed as beautiful NOW!& she didn't match all the blond/ gold heads of hair or typical face-she was stunning with dark hair & heart sh face!:)
Plump or by today's standards "overweight or curvy" was attractive. Fat has never bee attractive. Henry despised Catherine of Aragon because she was fat, among other things.
Mande Peer, well, if she had ONLY given him a son, he probably wouldn't of despised her so much, and he might of stayed married to her, but, I doubt he would of remained faithful to her anymore than he was before. I've read, don't know if its true, but Catherine had become a dowdy, heavy set woman, and unattractive, so I always wonder, if she had given him an heir and a spare, if he'd stay married to her, but continue on living separate lives unless he felt like eating dinner with her once in awhile.
Proud Kansan Yes I believe he would have stayed married to her and would have told Anne Boleyn that he couldn't get married. I can't say what they would think for real, he was OBSESSED with Anne, so it may have still happened. But his real motive for getting remarried was an heir.
Mande Peer I don't think that's the reason he despised her. She was older than him and had 6-7 pregnancies. It was the fact she didn't give him a son. If she had given him a son, the fact that she was fat wouldn't have had made any difference. Much like proud kansan said.
Renie Taylor In England at that time, fat was not considered beautiful. In fact, one of Henry's complaints about Catherine of Aragon was that she'd become too thick-waisted (nevermind that she'd been pregnant over and over, trying to give him an heir!)
In fact, I can't think of any point in English history when thin wasn't the ideal of beauty. It was people on the Continent, particularly the Italians, who preferred plump women.
Thank you!
damn what a schnozola...
Why did she make the rise crack about her neck being little?
Anne Boleyn Tudor: I heard that he is good..
And I have a little neck
Excellent job, C.R.! The Hever portrait is certainly the most captivating; it blends a very feminine charm with a sense of wit and intelligence. More, more!
(What about a video tracing movie images of Anne? Dorothy Tutin is my favorite all-around Anne, and I find Vanessa Redgrave's the most charismatic. Dormer overdoes the seductress stuff, but that might be the director's fault. )
She was beautiful beyond comparison. I don't think any of them got it right. Personally, I don't think any of the women depicted are beautiful. For Henry to "move mountains" she must have been stunningly beautiful in addition to all her other charms.
Paintings (made contemporary) were often painted not to realise a likeness; but to either flatter the subject or push one's own career. Therefore most portraits of this period except in oblique ways can be discounted as 'showing us' what royal personages looked like.
It is very difficult to imagine what Anne looked like. Also standards change what would have been seen as attractive in 1530 would probably not be seen as attractive now. For instance in the 1930 Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo popularized a lean, hollowed cheek look that has stayed popular. Before that time great beauties would often be quite chubby by today's definitions. After Anne was murdered by Henry( how can it be seen as anything else?) I think she suffered by default, who was going to stand up for her/ Her own father didn't. But it is ridiculous to imagine her as anything but very attractive. Henry had all of England at his disposal why would he choose someone less than attractive? It doesn't make sense. All the negative comments about warts/ extra fingers etc. were written by people who never saw her or long after her death. Written to satisfy Henry and villainize Anne. Those positive comments about her Flashing eyes, long hair, gracefulness etc, are far more believable, She had to have something Henry was obsessed by her for years and that obsession changed History.Incidentally I wonder how many people are aware that the sad Catherine of Aragon was by far the longest lived of Henry's wives. she was 50, the other longest lived was Anne of Cleves who died at 42.
+Alan Ellaway I had a history teacher who said of beauty in the Middle Ages: one was considered quite beautiful if one had all their hair and teeth.
+Charlotte Gray Yes, that is what he said. If you're referring to the elite you may be correct. I am not. I am referring to the masses.
+Charlotte Gray Bear in mind that Richard was only 32 when he was killed.
Alan Ellaway If she had been born with an extra finger, it would have been amputated. Women born with 'deformities' were sometimes considered witches. Henry would never have looked twice at her.
I saw her just recently on a piece of burnt toast.
A contemporary account said that Anne was not beautiful but was vivacious. The Hever Castle portrait looks a bit too beautiful to me. What struck me in seeing Elizabeth II's image on her tomb in Westminster Abbey is that her face and features (shape and structure) seem similar to Anne Boleyn's though her colouring was like her father Henry VIII.
I always thought Elizabeth looked much like Anne with her father’s coloring. That’s my reference when I’m trying to imagine what Anne looked like.
based on all the painting, women back then didnt seem very pretty.
drepop803 That's probably because hundreds of years ago painters had no concept of bone structure --- as you will seem from paintings such as Botticelli's Venus and Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. They were probably much prettier in real life.
jo egleton very well could be.
drepop803 Absolute fact --- as an artist, I know.
jo egleton good to know.
drepop803 Yeah - but Henry would have dumped her for me any day ;)
of all the actresses who portrayed anne Boleyn, through the years, it's probably claire foy who is closest in appearance to the tragic queen.
I have to say in my opinion,the actress who played anne in the tv series the tudors does have a likeness to the real anne.
Thank you for exerting your efforts to discover the most accurate depiction from the many renderings available and for pursuing a beautifully truthful understanding of why these paintings are the primary foundation for honestly reviewing her prestigious visage, she was a rare and remarkable woman of her times to pursue the course she became inextricably entwined with her King and her history is the very freedom of religion which we so dearly value and for which and by which she lived and died. I will always admire her persistence and her determination to provide England and her King with the male heir the Tudor lineage sought and I will be forever grateful for Queen Elizabeth I for her unique advances, and it is remarkable that of all of her reign's hallmarks, the one which was a disastrous failure was allowing and encouraging the incorporation of the worst crime any ruler can utiluze, which was "slavery" within the colonies to expedite the settling of the lands to concretize the English claim of those North American continental mysteries which were a place of completely imaginary and mythical possibilities, but they were marred and scarred so severely by slavery so that this tragic disappointing allowance of indecency of one human over another and the degradation of an entire people due to a very successful evolutionary adaptation to survive the damages resultant from harsh exposures to sunlight in the African equatorial regions, but instead it was further misrepresented as a guarantor of inferiority and thus became a pendant of vicious attacks upon them once they arrived already in slavery in the U.S.A.'s precursors of the colonies, but the real crime was designed by another line of royalty in the Gold Coast during those centuries who deliberately reduced the numbers of enemy tribal members by hunting and trapping the very best tribal members, both women and men, to export into the slave trade and so deplete them of their finest leaders, their strongest family lines, and to strike utter fear into their competing neighbors to drive them away from lands which the slavery-trade-supporters could take control of much more easily, as well as dash the neighboring tribal communities into their lesser form following these severe losses of essential hunters-&-gathers-holding-their-tribes'-daily-routines-of-providing-all-their-needs-through-their-journeys-outside-their-encampments-townships-&-cultural-centers, so that Queen Anne Boleyn paved the way for Queen Elizabeth I to regard the development of her colonies through instituting a marriage which bore no ill will toward the foreign lands and nations which would become inextricably entwined in this one decision to incorporate a trade which another royal family promoted and relies relied upon to destroy its enemies while her involvement was designed to encourage her satellite colonies and had it not been for Anne's determination to provide a legitimate-&-legal-heir-for-theur-times there would no doubt have been others who deviated into this slave trade, but it's unique that a Queen with her own difficulties producing an heir legally would be "the one" to reach out and entwined this slavery as a means to legitimize the English claims to the untold foreign lands in the then-dark-continents-of-the-Amerucas, and its colonies in North America would be "the ones" which would suffer longer and deeper, and for This the trap would be set to alleviate the colonies from their foreign parental nation of England, so that in order to "sever these ties that bound them all and 'to become free' became freedom from English rule", which is all the very, very profound nature and portrait of the future of lands and nations springing from these very, very lovely artistic portrayals of the Queen Anne Boleyn, whose place was as brief and tumultuous as the future was long and which hosted the social-&-political-eruptions born from those passionate beginnings of potent Tudor choices, which are now closing in on another millennium of history being utterly entwined with those fateful choices having disastrous repercussions, while most of her entire reign is still known for her building an England of such power and renaissance style advances so that these two comparative points are completely out of balance with each other!!! I see all of this when I view Anne Bloeyn's portraits and because of this, I truly appreciate acquiring the best vantage point and vision of her visage, for she set stages long after her reign and her footprints and those of her daughter are still echoing clearly in our USA history today, thank you for your thorough and compelling accuracy in searching history "for her true face"!!! I apologize for the s pulling errors, I do proofread accurately, but I am constantly hacked-stalked-plagiarized-&-trolled so that all of my best efforts to edit are predictably thwarted by the co-conspirators plotting to destroy my reputation, my posts accuracies and truths, and my communications with any one else, so that these criminals-&-abusers may try to claim their reputation from the damages, isolation, and technological-kidnapping which I am forced to endure,... Best Wishes and I look forward to further posts and videos by your esteemed authorship and by your devotion to the integrity of your impeccable degree of investigative research which inspires such admiration and loyalty!!! Thank you, again, thank you!!!
Drivel
@claire ridgeway, I agree with you. I believe that it is the Hever portrait that shows us what she really liked like.
One thing is quite sure, Anne Boleyn did not have black hair, it was most likely dark auburn
Very thought provoking discussion. I would imagine that Elizabeth would have had an accurate portrayal of Anne contained in the ring she wore. What bothers me in the Cheke rendering is that the hair appears somewhat blond!
Alas, it looks like my favorite portrait-the one in the National Gallery-is not an accurate rendering of Anne. Have to agree with you re: Hever. I think that is the closest we can hope to get, and it is quite a nice painting, as well.
national portrait depicts light brown eyes. she also looks like a character on the simpsons. the portraits all appear to depict different people! Eye color - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_color
"Jump to Hazel - Hazel eyes are due to a combination of Rayleigh scattering and a moderate amount of melanin in the iris' anterior border layer. Hazel eyes often appear to shift in color from a brown to a green. Although hazel mostly consists of brown and green, the dominant color in the eye can either be brown/gold or green."
Thank you Claire, good talk. Shawdian 🌹
Thank you!