Overview
- Dr Owen Emmerson argues the panel, painted near the end of Elizabeth I’s reign, pairs Anne Boleyn’s body with her daughter’s face based on close visual matches across royal portraits.
- He cites likenesses to an Elizabeth I at Compton Verney, a Mary I owned by the Weiss Gallery, and a privately held Edward IV as evidence of a standardized facial type.
- Independent specialists, including Lawrence Hendra of the Philip Mould gallery, say the works likely came from a late 16th to early 17th century workshop producing posthumous images of monarchs.
- The National Portrait Gallery, which has owned the painting since 1882, says it welcomes the findings and plans discussions with Hever Castle.
- Emmerson’s book and a Hever Castle exhibition open Feb. 11, 2026, as the Royal Collection’s recently ratified Holbein portrait offers a rare contemporary reference for Boleyn’s appearance.