The Courtship of Anne Boleyn

Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, The Courtship of Anne Boleyn, 1846, oil on canvas, 28 ¹⁄₂ x 40 ¹⁄₈ in. (72.4 x 101.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1980.28

Free to use

Artwork Details

Title: The Courtship of Anne Boleyn
Artist: Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze
Date: 1846
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
/
Luce Foundation Center
/
3rd Floor
/
7A
Dimensions: 28 ¹⁄₂ x 40 ¹⁄₈ in. (72.4 x 101.8 cm)
Credit Line: Museum purchase
Mediums: oil
Mediums Description: oil on canvas
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Figure group
Recreation — courting
Occupation — other — aristocrat
Architecture Interior — castle
Portrait female — Boleyn, Anne — full length
Portrait male — Henry VIII, King — full length
Object Number: 1980.28
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1980.28

Artwork Description

This painting shows King Henry VIII of England and his mistress, Anne Boleyn. Henry fell in love with Anne, Queen Catherine’s lady-in-waiting, and divorced his Spanish wife so that he could marry her. To the left of Henry and Anne, the ambassador from Spain expresses his disgust as he watches the king carry out his affair in public. Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze was a supporter of the American and German revolutions and may have painted King Henry’s infamous betrayal to show his distaste for royalty.