Art History Series: Dialogue between Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII

In addition to the prayer books I have already told you about, there are two more preserved that belong to Anne Boleyn. One of them is of very high quality and not printed, contains about 50 illustrations, created around 15-16c in Bruges. What makes it not only a beautiful book and memory of her is the interesting dialogue between her and Henry VIII from the time he was trying to get a divorce from Catherine of Aragon. The inscriptions are also placed in a way that carries a message - Henry writes next to an illustration of a flayed Christ: "If you remember my love in your prayers as strongly as I adore you, I shall hardly be forgotten, for I am yours. Henry Rex forever." This suggests that he is just as tormented being a man who cannot be with the woman he loves. Her answer comes soon: "By daily proof you shall me find to be to you both loving and kind." next to an illustration of the Virgin Mary receiving a message from an angel that she will have a son. This serves as a promise that this is what Anne Boleyn can give Henry. The thing he craves the most but never gets. Either way, it's an interesting look into the hearts of these two people from when their love was still burning. This beautiful prayer book is also part of the Hever Castle collection open to the public.

Regards, Julia

#arthistory #art #AnneBoleyn #BookofHours #HenryVIII

Art History Series: Even more Book of Hours - this time Anne Boleyn's!

After the post about Thomas Cromwell's prayer book, I will also tell you about Anne Boleyn's. These two books were printed on the same press 500 years ago and were in the hands of some of the greatest figures in Tudor history, and it is admirable that they meet in the same space for perhaps the first time in so long during the work of the research team. After they were printed in 1527 in Paris, they traveled completely different routes - by that time Anne Boleyn had already accepted Henry's marriage proposal, but he still had a queen by his side - Catherine of Aragon, who, as I mentioned, also owned a copy that is currently located in New York. She doesn't want to go away quietly and the power struggle between the royals continues for another 7 years before their marriage is dissolved, in which Thomas Cromwell has a strong role.     The two books seem to arrive at the court at a similar time, but their histories are very different. Just before her execution, Anne Boleyn is said to have given a modest prayer book to one of her ladies. It is assumed that this is the very book we are talking about now, which is located in Hever Castle. If we look inside, we can see an inscription – “Remember me when you do pray, That hope doth lead from day to day” Signed “Anne Boleyn”. This sounds like a wish to be remembered after her death, which Henry VIII makes very difficult. His efforts to erase Anne from history included the destruction of all memorials and portraits of her. But this book that bears her name survives. Kate McCaffrey discovered 4 more hidden messages, which were later deleted. They show the way the book traveled through the hands of people who felt a close connection to Anne Boleyn - mainly a group of Kentish gentry, mostly women, who hid and preserved this prayer book at great risk.     If you go to Hever Castle, on the anniversary of Anne Boleyn's death, the book stays open on the page with her dedication, which is otherwise kept open to other pages for conservative purposes.

     Regards,

     Julia

#arthistory #art #AnneBoleyn #Tudors #BookofHours #HenryVIII

Art History Series: Thomas Cromwell’s Book of Hours

Thomas Cromwell has been an important figure in English history at the time of Henry VIII - he was a chief minister and a powerful proponent of the English Reformation which in turn helped Henry VIII marry Anne Boleyn.

Kate McCaffrey, Alison Palmer and Dr. Owen Emerson discovered Thomas Cromwell's Book of Hours in the Wren Library at Trinity College Cambridge last year (2023). The book has been kept there since 1660, but the connection to Cromwell was unknown.

This wonderful book was created in 1527 by Germain Hardouyn. A copy of it was also made for Queen Anne Boleyn, as well as her rival Queen Catherine of Aragon. It is in its original silver-gilt binding and thanks to the work of the team, they also revealed the master who made it - Pierre Mangot circa 1529-1530. He was the Goldsmith to King Francis I of France. It is printed on vellum, with hand-illuminated woodcuts, bound in velvet-covered boards, set with silver gilt and garnets.

This is the same book that you can see in the painting by Hans Holbein the Younger - Portrait of Thomas Cromwell (1532-1533). The original painting is lost, but we know of it from three copies which are in the Frick Collection in New York, the Chichester-Constable Collection in Yorkshire and the National Gallery in London, which I recently visited. The copy in the Frick collection is considered the best of them.

Unfortunately I was unable to see the prayer book as it was on display at Hever Castle at the time of my trip, but I hope to have the opportunity further down the line at the next place that displays it. As far as we know, it is the only object found in a painting from the Tudor period that has survived to this day. You can view its contents on the Trinity College website.

Kind regards, Julia

Link to the scanned book: https://mss-cat.trin.cam.ac.uk/Manuscript/R.16.2/UV?fbclid=IwAR0UxbVfbMedVmSLdySlnWCG2Ed-pntYsBqoXFGIS-ZpSpdsNka_Hb6enQk#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&r=0&xywh=-5720%2C0%2C18447%2C9636

#arthistory #art #ThomasCromwell #Tudors #BookofHours