Tuesday 21 March 2017

A Lost Portrait of Anne Boleyn?

A book I purchased recently, 'The Faith - A History of Christianity' by Brian Moynahan (2002) had reproduced a portrait of a lady supposed to be Anne Boleyn.


from 'Faith: A History of Christianity' (page 402)

 The picture is inscribed 'Anna de Boulen' in the left corner, and shows a young woman in profile from the 16th century. Is this the elusive lost life-portrait of Anne we have long been searching for? Unfortunately, no source was given by the author as to where this portrait was reproduced from.

 As hopeful as we are for an authentic portrait of Anne Boleyn, there are indications to the contrary upon first glance. While the young woman's appearance - her long face and her brown hair - appear to match what we know of Anne, her costume is problematic. The sitter wears a hood of a style belonging to the early 1500's. It is comparable to one worn by Anne of Brittany, Queen of France (1477-1514).

Anne of Brittany, by Jan Mostaert

 Anne Boleyn would have unlikely to have been painted from circa 1515 to the early 1520's as she was in still in her mid to late teens (assuming her birth date was around 1501) and was a person of no distinction.

 Of course Anne could have been painted at a young age nonetheless, however a thorough search for this portrait indicated otherwise. The sitter is in fact Isabelle of Austria (1501-1526), a sister of the Emperor Charles V and mother of Christina of Denmark (who was proposed as wife number four to King Henry VIII). The portrait hangs in the Czartoryskich Museum in Krakow, Poland, and was painted in about 1514/1515. 



Isabelle of Austria by an Unknown Artist  


 

The painting in its current state does not include the inscription 'Anna de Boulen'. The picture appears to be the same as the one reproduced in the Moynahan book, and it can only be supposed that the inscription, deemed a later addition and an inaccurate one at that, was subsequently removed by the Czartoryskich Museum.

 And thus our search for Anne Boleyn continues...

Thursday 9 March 2017

An article in 'The Medieval Magazine'

My thanks to the folks at 'The Medieval Magazine' for including an article of mine in the March issue of their publication!

You can read it by clicking here.



 You can also preview a chapter of my book 'The Turbulent Crown' at MadeGlobal Publishing by clicking here. Enjoy!

 






Sunday 5 March 2017

Anne of Cleves - Henry VIII's Luckiest Wife? (Virtual Book Tour - Stop 7)

On my final stop of this virtuial book tour, we go back to the 16th century for a look at Anne of Cleves. Was she indeed the luckiest of six wives? Find out at QueenAnneBoleyn.com

Again, you will have a chane to win a copy of 'The Turbulent Crown'. Good luck!

And a big-thank you to my hosts these past few days!


Saturday 4 March 2017

Princess Marie Louise and the Creation of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House (Virtual Book Tour - Stop 6)

On my sixth stop at History of Royal Women, something a little different. We travel to the early 20th century and take a look at the creation Queen Mary's Dolls' House.

See you there!


Friday 3 March 2017

Anne Boleyn and the Tower of London (Virtual Book Tour - Stop 5)

Join me today at The Tudor Trail as we look at Anne Boleyn's association with the Tower of London.

You'll also have a chance to win a copy of 'The Turbulent Crown.'




Thursday 2 March 2017

The Story of Anne Askew (Virtual Book Tour - Stop 4)

Today, my fourth stop is at The Tudor Society where we'll take a look at the life of the remarkable Anne Askew.

You'll also get a chance to win a copy of 'The Turbulent Crown'!


A big thank-you to my hosts this week, the book is currently at #6 on Amazon's Kindle for History-Europe-Renaissance category.


Wednesday 1 March 2017

The Six Wives Of Henry VIII – The TV Series (Virtual Book Tour - Stop 3)

The early 1970's were the glory days of Tudor television. Join me at author Janet Wertman's site, as we take a look back at the acclaimed series 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII'.

As well, enter for a chance to win a copy of 'The Turbulent Crown'