Hever Castle acquires Cromwell Portrait
November 18 2024
Video: BBC South East
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Hever Castle in Kent, one of the former homes of Anne Boleyn, have acquired and redisplayed a portrait of Thomas Cromwell.
The acquisition had caused some conflicting feelings for assistant curator Dr Owen Emmerson as he explains:
He said: “When I first saw this painting listed at auction back in 2020, I thought twice about suggesting the purchase, for fear of what Anne Boleyn would have thought of us hanging a portrait of the man who orchestrated her downfall in her home.
"However, I remembered that before Anne’s downfall, she had threatened Cromwell with his life, telling him that she wanted his head off his shoulders, and I then reasoned that, since the portrait only shows his head, we were, in a way, fulfilling her wishes."
The painting was acquired from Christie's London in 2020 for £11,875.
