Was Anne of Cleves really ugly? Re-creations Revealed.
Re-creation of Anne of Cleves from the 1530s Holbein Portrait. I’ve re-created Anne in English fashions.
Ugliest wife, or luckiest wife?
Anne of Cleves is known to history as being the “ugly” fourth wife of King Henry VIII, but we have reasons to believe this is mostly a case of historical slander.
Anne grew up in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of what is now Germany. She was the daughter of a powerful Protestant ruler, John III. When King Henry VIII’s third wife, Jane Seymour, died in childbirth, he was soon on the hunt for wife #4. After the split from the Catholic church in England, it was imperative to find a Protestant ally in Europe.
Anne and her sister Amalia were seriously considered as wives for Henry. It was difficult to get a true likeness or good description of the sisters, since many descriptions, like those from Thomas Cromwell, were being inflated in order to convince the King to make this alliance.
The first we hear of Anne from the English perspective is when John Hutton, the English ambassador to the Low Countries, mentioned in passing that the Duke of Cleves had a daughter but ‘there is no great praise of her personage or beauty.’
But it was also reported that she was slim, tan, and tall, with a “pleasing countenance.”
I’ve re-created Anne of Cleves using two different portraits. The first was possibly the very first image of Anne that Henry ever saw. This portrait, attributed to Barthel de Bruyn, is believed to be a contemporary image of Anne. The clothing and face match the Holbein portrait almost completely.
Through x-ray evidence, this image originally had a larger nose that was painted over, lending credence to the fact that Henry complained she had a much larger nose than he thought.
The other re-creation comes from the famous Holbein image, a very beautiful and flattering portrait of Anne. It’s thought that perhaps Holbein chose this angle to minimize the aforementioned nose. I’ve re-created the Holbein version with Anne in English styles, since her German dress was very difficult to replicate, and she would have worn English fashions after her marriage to Henry.
Henry was very pleased with the Holbein image, and arranged for the marriage to take place as soon as possible. On her way to England, everyone who hosted her sang her praises, saying she was curious, kind, and grateful, despite still learning English.
An unfortunate and awkward first meeting sent the couple on a rocky start. Henry surprised Anne from behind, in a gesture of courtly love, but she didn’t recognize him and was quite cold upon their first meeting. Henry, being the embarrassed, middle-aged-crisis version of the man he once was, began to smear her to everyone who would listen. Henry complained she was nothing like had been reported to him - that her nose was bigger, she had smallpox scars, and she was very plain. Eventually Henry did succeed in annulling the marriage.
But was Anne really that ugly? To me, it’s safe to say, emphatically, no she was not. In her portraits they show an average looking, kind-faced woman, which matches descriptions of her personality. Her nose may have been bigger than been reported. Henry’s bruised ego was most definitely the reason for the harsh words towards Anne. But Anne accepted the annulment with grace, always kind and speaking well of the King. King Henry was so relieved that she agreed to the annulment that he granted her a huge settlement - she became one of the wealthiest women in England overnight, and was henceforth referred to as the “King’s Beloved Sister.” To me, in the lineup of Henry’s wives, she looks the most beautiful.
Although poor Anne gets so much hate for her appearance, I can’t help but feel like she was the luckiest wife of all.
Anne created from the Barthel Bruyn image.
A modern interpretation.