See the Portrait That Made Henry VIII Fall in Love With Anne of Cleves, Newly Restored to Its Former Glory

Anne of Cleves portrait, Henry VIII, Tudor history, art restoration, historical painting, English royalty, Anne of Cleves portrait restoration, historical love story

That’s fascinating news! Hans Holbein’s portrait of the Tudor queen is an iconic piece of art, and any restoration work done on such a historically significant painting is always of great interest. Revealing the vibrant colors and hidden details can offer new insights into the artist’s technique and the historical context of the portrait. It’s a wonderful example of the ongoing efforts to preserve and understand our cultural heritage.

For the first time in nearly 400 years, the public can see Anne of Cleves as Henry VIII first saw her: resplendent in red velvet against a brilliant blue backdrop, her hazel eyes framed by a sheer linen cap and a gem-adorned headdress.

Long masked by layers of grime, these vivid features—newly revealed by conservators at the Louvre—illuminate the persuasive power of art: The Tudor king agreed to marry Anne after viewing this painting by Hans Holbein the Younger. The decision famously backfired, with Henry finding the woman who arrived in England one year later, in 1540, less enchanting than she’d appeared. “I like her not! I like her not!” Henry supposedly declared after meeting Anne for the first time. Nevertheless, they married (his fourth, her first). Six months later, the couple’s union ended in an annulment.

The Holbein portrait has been housed at the Louvre since the Paris museum’s opening in 1793. Though scholars have previously studied the work, discovering such details as a dotted underdrawing in Anne’s bodice, the recent conservation and cleaning is the first major undertaking of its kind in the painting’s history. What the researchers have found unveils a master at work.