Thomas Cook after William Hogarth – King Henry the Eighth, & Anna Bullen
The scene is the introduction of Anne Boleyn to King Henry VIII.
The obviously smitten King (his figure adapted from Holbein’s portrait) leads Anne towards a canopied throne. In the background the neglected Queen Katherine turns her face away and a glum Wolsey, leaning on the throne, watches the couple despairingly. The political content would have been obvious to a contemporary. The Opposition were hopeful that the new King George II would dismiss Walpole as Henry had dismissed Wolsey.
William Hogarth
William Hogarth, (born November 10, 1697, London, England—died October 26, 1764, London). The first great English-born artist to attract admiration abroad. Best known for his MORAL and satirical engravings and paintings—e.g., A Rake’s Progress (eight scenes,1733).
His attempts to build a reputation as a history painter and portraitist, however, met with financial disappointment. His aesthetic theories had more influence in Romantic literature than in painting.
