Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Courtship of Anne Boleyn
Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, born Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany 1816-died Washington, DC 1868 · 1846
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.
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