Royal Portraiture
The Royal Collection holds royal portraits from visual works to decorative arts
Anne Boleyn (c.1500-1536)
c.1533-6RCIN 912189
This portrait probably depicts Anne Boleyn (1501–36), the second wife of Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I. This portrait by Hans Holbein the Younger (1497–1543) was drawn in preparation for a painted portrait which has not survived. In Holbein's chalk drawing Anne Boleyn is depicted simply dressed with an under cap and night gown edged in fur. The real detail of the portrait is focused on capturing the features of the sitter, which are delicately rendered in chalk.
watermark: Briquet 11391, hand and crown [same as 12199]