A secret hidden for nearly 500 years has been discovered beneath the layers of paint in Anne Boleyn's Hever 'Rose' portrait, revealing an attempt to debunk the myth that Henry VIII's second wife had a sixth finger.
Scientific analysis of the painting at Hever Castle in Kent, Anne's childhood home, has uncovered evidence that an Elizabethan artist sought to create a 'visual rebuttal' to claims that she was a witch. Infrared technology revealed a discarded triangular form beneath Anne's right arm, marking the moment the artist departed from an inherited design to show her holding a red rose with her hands and fingers clearly visible.
Dr Owen Emmerson, assistant curator at Hever, said: 'By clearly displaying five digits on each hand, the portrait acts as a visual rebuttal to hostile rumours and as a defence of Anne Boleyn – and, by extension, of her daughter Elizabeth’s legitimacy.' The portrait, dated to about 1583 through tree-ring analysis, is thought to be the earliest scientifically dated panel portrait of Anne currently known.
The myth of a sixth finger was promoted by Nicholas Sanders, a 16th-century Catholic activist who sought to undermine Elizabeth I's legitimacy. Helene Harrison, author of The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn, suggested that Anne's hands were prominently displayed to counter these claims. On being told of the new evidence, she said it was 'amazing' that the analysis supported her theory.
Kate McCaffrey, also an assistant curator at Hever, said: 'It’s really thrilling. This is very strong evidence of a visual rebuttal of a very specific myth of witchcraft and six fingers.' She added that it appears to be Elizabeth's way of reclaiming her own legitimacy and restoring that of her mother. The portrait will feature in a forthcoming exhibition at Hever titled Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn.
