On 10th April 2016 the article published in the Sunday Times and Mail Online claimed that a nineteenth-century engraving of a lost portrait of Anne Boleyn had been found on eBay by the best-selling British historian and author Alison Weir. The catchy headline suggested that “the lost head of Anne Boleyn” had been found. Is it really an engraving of the lost portrait depicting Anne Boleyn? This and many other questions will be answered in this article.
Figure 1: “Lady Bergavenny” or Anne Boleyn? Courtesy of the author. Show more!
Painting’s history
The original painting has been part of Horace Walpole’s collection at his residence at Strawberry Hill. Upon Walpole’s death in 1797, the estate passed to his cousin, Anne Seymour Damer, and eventually to her heir, the 7th Earl of Waldegrave. By 1842, the Earl of Waldegrave, who had inherited the property and its contents, found himself in financial difficulties and decided to sell the collection. The sale catalogue listed over 4,500 lots including paintings, furniture, books, manuscripts, and various other objects collected by Walpole over the course of his lifetime.
