On Good Friday 1533, the 11th April, Henry VIII informed the Royal Council that Anne Boleyn was now his wife and Queen, and ordered them to accord her with royal honours, in the place of Catherine of Aragon who was now the Dowager Princess of Wales.
This date, 11th April 1533, is recorded in Hans Holbein the Younger’s famous painting, “The Ambassadors”, leading to speculation that it was commissioned by Anne Boleyn, who was Holbein’s patron. The date is marked on the celestial globe, the quadrant and the cylinder sundial. You can read more about this incredible painting, which is full of symbolism and messages in my series of articles:-
- Holbein’s The Ambassadors: A Renaissance Puzzle? – Part One: Context
- Holbein’s The Ambassadors: A Renaissance Puzzle? – Part Two: Symbols
- Holbein’s The Ambassadors: A Renaissance Puzzle? – Part Three: Jupiter and Change
