Anne Boleyn portrait a 'rebuttal of witch rumours'
The Hever Rose Portrait: Reclaiming Anne Boleyn’s Image
An artist who painted Anne Boleyn deviated from the approved model for portraits of the Tudor queen, according to infrared photographs. Curators at Hever Castle, Boleyn’s childhood home, discovered that the painter altered the underdrawing for the ‘Hever Rose’ portrait, moving away from the standard ‘B’ pattern typically followed.
Experts suggest the finished painting was intentionally modified to include the executed queen’s hands. According to assistant curator Dr Owen Emmerson, this was a visual rebuttal to hostile rumours that Boleyn—Henry VIII’s second wife—was a witch who possessed extra fingers.
"The decision to reveal Anne’s hands should be understood as deliberate," Dr Emmerson explained.
Scientific Discovery and Historical Context
The castle commissioned research into the portrait from the Hamilton Kerr Institute, part of the University of Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum. Their findings revealed:
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Dating: The wooden panel dates to 1583, during the reign of Anne’s daughter, Elizabeth I.
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Significance: It is now considered the oldest scientifically dated panel portrait of Boleyn.
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Political Climate: At the time, Boleyn’s image was being deliberately revived and reshaped during a period of intense political and religious trepidation.
A Glimpse of the Real Anne
Hever historian and deputy curator Kate McCaffrey noted that the approved pattern may have been based on an earlier likeness closer to Anne’s lifetime, which "may bring us closer to seeing Anne as she truly was."
She added that the Hever Rose portrait, which has recently been published, provides a more "human" impression that preserves an earlier version of Anne’s likeness than later, more stylised copies.
