A striking portrait of Anne Boleyn, held in the National Portrait Gallery's collection, may have been a powerful piece of political propaganda designed to secure her daughter's grip on the throne, a leading historian has claimed.
A Deliberate Resemblance to Secure Power
Dr Owen Emmerson, co-curator of a major new exhibition at Hever Castle in Kent, argues that the painting from 1584—created nearly five decades after Boleyn's execution—was intentionally crafted to show a strong likeness to Queen Elizabeth I. This visual link was a calculated move to strengthen Elizabeth's legitimacy during a period of intense political and religious threat.
"This is definitely a portrait of Anne Boleyn, and that is what the artist intended it to be. But it's more important than a likeness of her, because it carries political weight," Dr Emmerson told The Independent. He emphasised that the resemblance was not a retrospective accident but a very deliberate act commissioned with clear intention.
The Pivotal Crisis of the 1580s
The context of the painting's creation is crucial. By the 1580s, Elizabeth I's rule was under severe pressure. She had been excommunicated by the Pope, which encouraged Catholic plots to overthrow her. Compounding this, she was unmarried and past child-bearing age, leaving no direct heir to promote a dynastic future.
"She cannot look to the future to promote her legitimacy," Dr Emmerson explained. Instead, he suggests, supporters looked to the past. By commissioning portraits where Anne Boleyn closely resembled her daughter, they created a visual proof of Elizabeth's Tudor lineage. This was vital to counter rumours that Elizabeth was not Henry VIII's true daughter, fuelled by her mother's execution for treason and adultery.
"This is a clever way of doing that... retrospectively she's made to look like a Tudor," he said.
The 'Pearl Painter' and Public Display
The anonymous artist behind the 1584 work has been identified by their distinctive technique for painting pearls, earning them the moniker "the Pearl Painter." Art historian Laurence Hendra linked several works to this hand, including this portrait of Anne Boleyn and one of Catherine of Aragon, also at Hever Castle.
Dr Emmerson believes such a portrait would have been a costly, bold statement, likely commissioned by a courtier for public display to show allegiance. In a 16th-century society with low literacy rates, portraiture was a powerful visual language, making this imagery a potent form of political messaging.
The research features in Dr Emmerson's new book, Capturing the Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn, co-authored with Hever Castle's assistant curator Kate McCaffrey. The accompanying exhibition, opening on 11 February 2026 at the Boleyn family's ancestral home, will present the largest ever assembly of artwork and artefacts associated with Anne Boleyn.
