Anne Of Cleves

Anne of Cleves, the fourth consort of King Henry VIII of England, entered matrimony as part of a strategic alliance with her brother William, the Duke of Cleves. This portrayal of Anne was crafted by the adept hands of Hans Holbein the Younger. In 1539, Holbein was tasked with capturing Anne’s likeness in this portrait to present to King Henry, who sought an image of her as a potential marriage candidate. Nowadays, akin to perusing a photograph on Instagram, the process has become remarkably facile. Holbein likely executed this portrait swiftly on parchment, facilitating its portability.

Regrettably, when King Henry encountered Anne in person, his expectations were far from met. The portrait’s fidelity was deemed lacking, and he famously referred to her as a “fat Flanders mare.” This discord between portrait and reality tarnished Holbein’s reputation, forever altering the trajectory of his artistic commissions. Subsequently, he was not entrusted with assignments of such magnitude again.