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A striking new portrait of Thomas Cromwell, dubbed the “mastermind” behind Anne Boleyn’s ascent to the English throne – as well as her sharp decline – is set to be revealed at Hever Castle, where Queen Anne grew up.
The image of King Henry VIII’s chief advisor, who features prominently in Hilary Mantel’s celebrated novel ‘Wolf Hall’, forms part of an exhibition coinciding with the debut of the second BBC series based on the book this Sunday.
Housed in the Kent castle’s long gallery, this 16th-century artwork is now among a broader collection depicting the Tudor regime and the Reformation period. Owen Emmerson, the castle’s assistant curator and historical consultant for ‘Wolf Hall: The Mirror And The Light’, expressed his initial hesitation over procuring the painting in 2020, fearing Anne Boleyn’s reaction: “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.”
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Yet, recalling the fraught history between the two, he concluded that displaying only Cromwell’s head might be seen as fulfilling a past threat made by Boleyn herself: “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.”
Dr Emmerson also reflected on the complex legacy of Cromwell, noting that his role entwined both the creation and destruction of the Boleyn family’s fortune: “It is also true to say that Cromwell didn’t only break the Boleyns’ fortunes, he very much made them, and was integral to their story too.”
Acquired by Hever Castle, the painting underwent extensive restoration after spending centuries as part of the Duke of Manchester’s illustrious art collection.
The piece once adorned the walls of Kimbolton Castle in Cambridgeshire, the last residence of Catherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII’s first wife, where she was exiled and eventually passed away in 1536.
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