Anne and Holbein

a self portrait by Hans Holbein, 
painted c. the early 1540s. Holbein
died of the plague shortly after painting
this portrait. 

 Back in the day, the realm of courtship and marriage was not as accessible as it is now, royals had to commission artists to paint portraits of potential suitors that they themselves couldn't see. Henry VII was such royal, on his hunt for a fourth wife and a diplomatic relationship, he commissioned Hans Holbein the Younger, one of Henry's most favored artists, to paint the von Kleve sisters of the Duchy of Cleves. Amalia and Anne von Kleve.

 There was a great deal of importance and pressure placed upon artists especially when it came to diplomatic arrangements.  An accomplished Oxford alumnus, with a doctorate in Philosophy, masters in Historical Research, and current Programme Director at the Europaeum, Tracey Sowerby in her article, 'A Memorial and a Pledge of Faith': Portraiture and Early Modern Diplomatic Culture', speaks on the importance of artists and their contributions to the diplomacy of early European history, Sowerby states, "Portraits' mnemonic functions made them a potentially powerful means of establishing and maintaining ostensible relationships" (20). Being the only means of receiving visual information, artists were highly valued and sought out. Had it not been for Holbein, Anne and Henry might've never been married, never mind that their marriage didn't last more than a few months, and Henry might not have married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard either, since she was Anne von Kleve's handmaiden (Catherine would've been better off not marrying Henry considering how he had her beheaded...).

quick explanation of Holbein's portrait of Anne 

 Anne and Henry's marriage did not start off on a good note, as Henry was disguised when Anne first met him. She had just arrived in England and had been waiting for her betrothed to show up, instead some random man was vying for her attention and tried to kiss her. Anne was understandably confused and taken aback. Henry was more than a little peeved, and insisted that Holbein had not painted her accurately. Hillary Nunn, author of '"

 Anne of Cleves - Hans Holbein, 1539
Louvre, Paris
oil and tempera on parchment mounted on
canvas, approx 65x48 cm

It lak'th but life": Redford's "With and Science", Anne of Cleves', muses, "...to suggest Hans Holbein's faltering painting of Anne of Cleves, the 'picture of Wit' also offers audience a valuable lesson on portraiture's methods of representation" (271), placing such a high trust in portraiture might not end well as artists had a tendency to make their subjects appear more visually appealing.

Holbein seemed focus more on Anne's clothing than her face. And while no one can deny the brilliance of the work, it focuses more on the intricacies of Anne's clothes and accessories, which when compared to her face creates a stark unbalance. This was quite strange as Holbein was quite well known for his ability to create quite the life like portraits. He is considered one of the greatest portrait artists of the 16th century and yet this portrait was not great representation of his skill as a portraitist, nor was it well received.  

Thanks to Henry's rude and obnoxious character, Anne von Kleve has been dubbed the "ugly wife", and while the rumor claiming Henry described Anne as a "Flanders mare", has been proven to be untrue, the name has stuck. Never mind the fact that no one considered Anne as anything but attractive until Henry, ironically, claimed she was not. While Henry initially snubbed Anne, she was granted title "Kings Sister" and given a handsome allowance. She lived out her life at Heever Castle, and was quite close to Henry's youngest daughter, Elizabeth I. Anne fared better than the rest of Henry's wives and was the only one buried in Westminster Abbey once she died of cancer in 1557, at the age of forty one, outliving Henry and all his wives. 

While there has been many a prominent ruler clustering the history of early modern Europe, Anne's story stuck with me, not only because of her unfortunate circumstance, but because of the value that was placed upon artists throughout history. Here was a classic example of a diplomatic relationship, forged largely because of a portrait. Artists have been, and remain an integral part of our lives. 

Work Cited

Nunn, Hillary. “‘It Lak'th but Life’: Redford's ‘Wit and Science’, Anne of Cleves, and the Politics of Interpretation.” Comparative Drama, vol. 33, no. 2, 1999, pp. 270–291. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41153970. Accessed 10 Nov. 2020.

“History Remembers Anne Of Cleves As Henry VIII’s ‘Ugly Queen’ But Reality Tells Another Story.” Www.Msn.com, www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/history-remembers-anne-of-cleves-as-henry-viii-e2-80-99s-e2-80-98ugly-queen-e2-80-99-but-reality-tells-another-story/ar-BB1aLHWR?ocid=uxbndlbing. Accessed 10 Nov. 2020.

Ridgway, Author: Claire. “Amalia of Cleves, Sister of Anne of Cleves, by Heather R. Darsie.” The Tudor Society, 9 July 2016, www.tudorsociety.com/amalia-cleves-sister-anne-cleves-heather-r-darsie/. Accessed 10 Nov. 2020.

SOWERBY, TRACEY A. “'A Memorial and a Pledge of Faith': Portraiture and Early Modern Diplomatic Culture.” The English Historical Review, vol. 129, no. 537, 2014, pp. 296–331. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24473825. Accessed 10 Nov. 2020.

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