Like that of her five sisters-in-law, Anne of Cleves’ place in history was dictated by the outcome of her relationship to King Henry VIII. Instead of being remembered as Queen of England in 1540, she has been known simply as “Divorced” and remains so even in death, nearly five centuries later. Some may say that she was framed and this project observes how she, quite literally, was.

Informed by the scholarship of Stephanie Buck, my research will examine Hans Holbein the Younger, the celebrated German artist renowned for his highly realistic portraits of Europe's most influential figures. As court painter to Henry VIII, Holbein was commissioned to visit noble houses across Europe and produce portraits of potential brides, including the German Duchess Anne of Cleves, whose idealized image allegedly misled Henry, leading to the most famous medieval “catfishing” scandal. Building on Susan Foister’s analysis of Holbein’s courtly artworks and Michael North’s exploration of portraiture in Tudor politics, this project aims to understand why Holbein’s painting was considered inaccurate and how it played a crucial role in medieval diplomacy. My research consists of a visual analysis of the painting itself, an observation of contemporary descriptions of Anne of Cleves as well as a comparative study of her and the portraits of her five sisters-in-law. In other words, this project will be analyzing Holbein’s artistic choices, examining the balance between realism and flattery, and exploring the diplomatic pressures and beauty standards of Tudor England. In doing so, I aim to prove that the portrait of Anne of Cleves was not fundamentally incorrect but that her reputation as “The Flanders Mare” stems from Henry VIII’s expectations, shaped by the era’s perception of beauty and the political pressure to ensure the continuity of the Tudor lineage.