Is a portrait by Hans Holbein the younger, which supposedly shows Queen KATHERINE HOWARD’S FACE, in fact an image of Henry’s VIII’s fourth wife, Anne of Cleves? The theory that this miniature (which exists in two versions, one in the Royal Collection, the other in the possession of the Duke of Buccleuch) is the fifth wife of Henry VIII only dates back to the 18th century and recently an idea has been floated that because it is backed onto a four of diamonds playing card and the sitter has the same hooded eyes that Anne of Cleves does in her famous (and undisputed) Holbein portrait, this must also be an image of her. How sound is this evidence though and if this is indeed one of Henry VIII’s wives, which Tudor Queen is it? In this six wives documentary from History Calling, we look at the provenance of the unidentified Holbein miniatures and at why so many believe this image shows Katherine Howard, one of the most tragic figures in the story of the Tudors. This will include a study of the clothing and jewels she’s wearing, in particular the necklace, which formed part of the English Crown jewels at the time and which can also be seen in portraits of Queen Jane Seymour and Queen Catherine Parr. As Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves were married in 1540 and Henry and Katherine were married later in that same year, the theory goes that Anne would have had access to these same jewels and may have opted to wear them in a fresh Holbein portrait. The video will include contemporary descriptions of the face of Anne of Cleves, the clothing she wore in England and look at the question of what did Katherine Howard look like. We’ll also consider the theory that this portrait is of Lady Mary Brandon, daughter of Charles Brandon.

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Franny Moyle, The King’s Painter: The Life and Times of Hans Holbein (Apollo, 2021). https://amzn.to/3h4uU8n (UK LINK) OR https://amzn.to/3BGGMXz (US LINK)
Gareth Russell, Young and Damned and Fair: The Life and Tragedy of Catherine Howard at the Court of Henry VIII (2017). https://amzn.to/3xldHhi (UK link) OR https://amzn.to/2VExTgg (US link)
Josephine Wilkinson, Katherine Howard: The Tragic Story of Henry VIII's Fifth Queen (London, 2016). https://amzn.to/3x7MxdO (UK link) OR https://amzn.to/3rbFuPj (US link)
Antonia Fraser, The Six Wives Of Henry VIII (2nd edn, Phoenix, 2009) https://amzn.to/3atiEfi (UK link) OR https://amzn.to/36IqD5r (US link)
David Starkey, Six Wives: the Queens of Henry VIII (Vintage, 2004) https://amzn.to/3k9uD4Z (UK link) OR https://amzn.to/3wImKIh (US link)

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Thumbnail: Hans Holbein portrait of Anne of Cleves, 1539. Miniature portrait belonging to the Duke of Buccleuch supposedly of Queen Katherine Howard photo from Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University (detail).

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