I don't believe the portrait of Anne Boleyn, currently on display at the National Portrait Gallery in London, is based on a contemporary likeness of Anne.
Why? Hear me out.
There's a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I in the Compton Verney, Warwickshire, bearing a striking resemblance to the NPG portrait of Anne Boleyn. A natural likeness between a mother and daughter, one may say, but look closer:
There are exactly the same brushstrokes running from the nose towards the lips, brushstrokes under the nose and under lips.
Coincidence? I don't think so. It's been my view for years that the NPG portrait of Anne Boleyn was painted during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and was based on Elizabeth’s face. It’s not what Anne Boleyn would have looked like. The exact same brush strokes around the lower part of Elizabeth’s and Anne’s faces are not coincidental; Elizabeth’s face was probably used as pattern for Anne’s face.
What do you think?
