The Dulwich Picture Gallery

The Dulwich Picture Gallery in South London has a most fascinating set of early 17th century royal portraits assembled by the English actor Edward Alleyn (1566-1626).

This batch of kings and queens, includes a portrait of Anne Boleyn. As the mother of Elizabeth I, she was generally the only one of Henry VIII's six wives - and usually the only Queen Consort - to be included in such collections.

Anne Boleyn (by an Unknown Artist)

Poor Katherine!

As if Katherine of Aragon didn't suffer enough in her lifetime - after her death, she was unflatteringly portrayed in this posthumous painting!

Katherine of Aragon (by an Unknown Artist)

A Coronation Book For Elizabeth I

As a follow-up to my Coronation Book For Queen Anne Boleyn, I am currently working on one for her daughter Elizabeth's crowning in 1559. Like the previous book, this is being done in ink, watercolor, gold and silver pigments, and raised gold leaf on calfskin vellum.

The transcribed text is from The Passage of our most drad Soveraigne Lady Quene Elyzabeth, printed by Richard Tottill in January 1559, combined with sections from Robert Fabyan's Concordance of Histories (1559).

Here's a preview:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anne Boleyn's arrival at the Tower of London (an illustration)

Anne Boleyn arrives at The Traitors' Gate (by John Millar Watt, 1965)

This illustration by John Millar Watt (1895 - 1975) captures the high drama of Anne Boleyn's arrival at the Tower of London on May 2, 1536.

But do notice:

• Had Anne really been standing on the ledge of the barge as she is here, the well known rhyme about the fate of Henry VIII's six wives would have gone like this instead: Divorced, drowned, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived.

• Anne was reputed to be a fashion trendsetter, but high heeled boots?!

• Sir William Kingston and his men standing under Traitors' Gate! In actuality, the river waters would have flowed into the arch, floating the barge in. We'll have to ignore the fact that Anne actually entered the Tower on foot via the Byward Tower after landing at the wharf.

Still, it's a handsome picture. You can actually purchase the original watercolor here.

 

 

The BBC production of Shakespeare's 'Henry VIII' (1979)

An excellent production of Shakespeare's play that I highly recommend.

 

Admittedly, the pageboy hairdos and bulky costumes - however historically accurate - will be disconcerting to those used to seeing Jonathan Rhys Meyers' Henry strutting around the palace with a sleek haircut and a skinny tank top!
 



Claire Bloom as Queen Katharine and John Stride as King Henry.



Barbara Kellermann as Anne Bullen.

The BBC production however, was not without its own anachronisms, though unintentional. The scene where Queen Katharine confronts Cardinal Wolsey and Cardinal Campeius was filmed on location at Hever Castle. If you look closely, its portraits of Philip II of Spain (1527-1598) and of his wife Elisabeth of Valois (1545-1568) can be seen in the background!



A portrait of Philip II can be seen above Claire Bloom on the right. On the left is a painting of Elisabeth of Valois.

 

A painting of Elisabeth of Valois hangs behind the lady-in-waiting holding a lute.