Uploaded May 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Does this famous drawing by HANS HOLBEIN the younger show the face of ANNE BOLEYN? It is clearly inscribed as such, but not in a 16th century hand and debate has raged for centuries as to whether or not this really is the doomed second wife of Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I, or if we have a case of mistaken identity on our hands. In this Tudors documentary from History Calling we’ll look at the provenance of this Tudor portrait which has passed through the hands of King Henry VIII, King Edward VI, Henry FitzAlan, 12th Earl of Arundel, John, Lord Lumley, then perhaps Henry, Prince of Wales, followed by his brother King Charles I. It then went to Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke, Thomas Howard, 14th Earl of Arundel, King Charles II & finally the rest of the Kings and Queens of England from Charles onwards. It is now part of the Royal Collection of art & is held at Windsor Castle. I’ll explain to you where the inscription comes from & how much we can trust its identification as Queen Anne Boleyn (which was supposedly provided by John Cheke, a tutor to Edward VI). We’ll ask whether Anne would ever have allowed herself to be drawn in such an informal manner, in her bedclothes and if this woman’s face even matches up with other images and descriptions we have of her. Along the way, we’ll address the question of what Anne Boleyn looked like.
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
DOES THE CHEQUERS’ RING SHOW A PORTRAIT OF ANNE BOLEYN AND ELIZABETH I
youtu.be/hvgl1Wbjw1I
ANNE BOLEYN’S B NECKLACE
youtu.be/RrODYM4mRdM
THE FACE OF JANE BOLEYN ?
youtu.be/RgzPmuUA5EA
TUDOR QUEENS’ CONSORT NECKLACE
youtu.be/Yrs5FvcDlvs
ART HISTORY PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0Eh4LJzcqLO_ayueqJt8ao-
SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII PLAYLIST youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0Hb5Wjykc2hBrBddQYXDUqU
ANNE BOLEYN PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0HsAlbXfzj7ifkvNyfxzXfo
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
DJI Drone: amzn.to/38h1vXr (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/39hROZm (US LINK)
Go-Pro Hero 10 camera: amzn.to/3EPIK9U (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rTWScL (US LINK)
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/37CdC1r (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3vaVxjU (US LINK)
Memory Card: amzn.to/36QvcOQ (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3KeLZZs (US LINK)
Microphone: amzn.to/3MFtoaK (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rYtjH8 (US LINK)
LEARN MORE
John Rowlands and David Starkey, ‘An Old Tradition Reasserted: Holbein's Portrait of Queen Anne Boleyn’ in The Burlington Magazine, vol. 125, no. 959 (1983), pp 88-92.
Eric Ives, ‘The Queen and the painters: Anne Boleyn, Holbein and Tudor royal portraits' in Apollo (1994), pp 36-45.
Eric Ives, The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn (Wiley-Blackwell, 2005)
amzn.to/3xLivgr
Susan Bordo, The Creation of Anne Boleyn: In Search of the Tudors' Most Notorious Queen (One World Publications, 2014)
amzn.to/3zznLY1
Sarah Morris and Natalie Grueninger, In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn (2013)
amzn.to/2W9oJct
Antonia Fraser, The Six Wives Of Henry VIII (2nd edn, Phoenix, 2009) amzn.to/36IqD5r
David Starkey, Six Wives: the Queens of Henry VIII (Vintage, 2004)
amzn.to/3wImKIh
BUY OR RENT:
The Tudors, season 1
amzn.to/2VCwQ0j (US link)
The Tudors, season 2
amzn.to/2VMPnHw (US link)
The Tudors, season 3
amzn.to/3BijsPB
The Tudors, season 4
amzn.to/3z16S58 (US link)
Henry VIII and his Six Wives (2016 docu-drama)
amzn.to/3jiCkag
Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016 docu-drama)
amzn.to/3wH2mr2
DVDS:
The Tudors complete collection: amzn.to/3gWs4Ty (UK link) OR amzn.to/3z3Ef7n (US link)
Henry VIII (2003) amzn.to/2ZrjK4U (UK link) OR amzn.to/3z73ndj (US link)
Henry VIII and his Six Wives (2016 docu-drama): amzn.to/3gXU4GH
Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016 docu-drama): amzn.to/3h7Qh8z (UK link) OR amzn.to/3xKuBGA (US link)
Thumbnail: Photo of Hans Holbein drawing from Rijks Museum, public domain (detail)
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
Does this famous drawing by HANS HOLBEIN the younger show the face of ANNE BOLEYN? It is clearly inscribed as such, but not in a 16th century hand and debate has raged for centuries as to whether or not this really is the doomed second wife of Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I, or if we have a case of mistaken identity on our hands. In this Tudors documentary from History Calling we’ll look at the provenance of this Tudor portrait which has passed through the hands of King Henry VIII, King Edward VI, Henry FitzAlan, 12th Earl of Arundel, John, Lord Lumley, then perhaps Henry, Prince of Wales, followed by his brother King Charles I. It then went to Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke, Thomas Howard, 14th Earl of Arundel, King Charles II & finally the rest of the Kings and Queens of England from Charles onwards. It is now part of the Royal Collection of art & is held at Windsor Castle. I’ll explain to you where the inscription comes from & how much we can trust its identification as Queen Anne Boleyn (which was supposedly provided by John Cheke, a tutor to Edward VI). We’ll ask whether Anne would ever have allowed herself to be drawn in such an informal manner, in her bedclothes and if this woman’s face even matches up with other images and descriptions we have of her. Along the way, we’ll address the question of what Anne Boleyn looked like.
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
DOES THE CHEQUERS’ RING SHOW A PORTRAIT OF ANNE BOLEYN AND ELIZABETH I
youtu.be/hvgl1Wbjw1I
ANNE BOLEYN’S B NECKLACE
youtu.be/RrODYM4mRdM
THE FACE OF JANE BOLEYN ?
youtu.be/RgzPmuUA5EA
TUDOR QUEENS’ CONSORT NECKLACE
youtu.be/Yrs5FvcDlvs
ART HISTORY PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0Eh4LJzcqLO_ayueqJt8ao-
SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII PLAYLIST youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0Hb5Wjykc2hBrBddQYXDUqU
ANNE BOLEYN PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0HsAlbXfzj7ifkvNyfxzXfo
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
DJI Drone: amzn.to/38h1vXr (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/39hROZm (US LINK)
Go-Pro Hero 10 camera: amzn.to/3EPIK9U (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rTWScL (US LINK)
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/37CdC1r (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3vaVxjU (US LINK)
Memory Card: amzn.to/36QvcOQ (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3KeLZZs (US LINK)
Microphone: amzn.to/3MFtoaK (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rYtjH8 (US LINK)
LEARN MORE
John Rowlands and David Starkey, ‘An Old Tradition Reasserted: Holbein's Portrait of Queen Anne Boleyn’ in The Burlington Magazine, vol. 125, no. 959 (1983), pp 88-92.
Eric Ives, ‘The Queen and the painters: Anne Boleyn, Holbein and Tudor royal portraits' in Apollo (1994), pp 36-45.
Eric Ives, The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn (Wiley-Blackwell, 2005)
amzn.to/3xLivgr
Susan Bordo, The Creation of Anne Boleyn: In Search of the Tudors' Most Notorious Queen (One World Publications, 2014)
amzn.to/3zznLY1
Sarah Morris and Natalie Grueninger, In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn (2013)
amzn.to/2W9oJct
Antonia Fraser, The Six Wives Of Henry VIII (2nd edn, Phoenix, 2009) amzn.to/36IqD5r
David Starkey, Six Wives: the Queens of Henry VIII (Vintage, 2004)
amzn.to/3wImKIh
BUY OR RENT:
The Tudors, season 1
amzn.to/2VCwQ0j (US link)
The Tudors, season 2
amzn.to/2VMPnHw (US link)
The Tudors, season 3
amzn.to/3BijsPB
The Tudors, season 4
amzn.to/3z16S58 (US link)
Henry VIII and his Six Wives (2016 docu-drama)
amzn.to/3jiCkag
Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016 docu-drama)
amzn.to/3wH2mr2
DVDS:
The Tudors complete collection: amzn.to/3gWs4Ty (UK link) OR amzn.to/3z3Ef7n (US link)
Henry VIII (2003) amzn.to/2ZrjK4U (UK link) OR amzn.to/3z73ndj (US link)
Henry VIII and his Six Wives (2016 docu-drama): amzn.to/3gXU4GH
Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016 docu-drama): amzn.to/3h7Qh8z (UK link) OR amzn.to/3xKuBGA (US link)
Thumbnail: Photo of Hans Holbein drawing from Rijks Museum, public domain (detail)
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
