The Mystery
Caretaker
Period Specific
Glass
Color Purple
Medallion Jewel
Red Sleeves
Similarities
Eternalized
Unique
Signature
Provenance
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Absolutely
Visual Details
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SIMILARITY

There are three known paintings of Queen Catherine Howard that are remarkably identical. Obviously the stained glass portrait by Hans Holbein the Younger is just conspicuously similar to these; especially in regards to her stance, facial expression and hand position. Really puzzling are some anomalies in the stained glass portrait and the three paintings as depicted here:
 

A major difference is the color of the Queen's royal attire. In the three paintings, she is depicted wearing black/dark blue, but in the stained glass portrait Her Majesty is wearing a purple bodice with white lace adorned red sleeves.

The necklace on all four images has the same amount of pearls with the exact same placing. The pendant on the necklace is in all four images partly obscured by the white collar.

In the stained glass portrait just above the medallion, the lead came is congruent to the hem of the partlet visible on the Toledo and Hever paintings. The angle of this hem on the NPG image is different.

More subtle is the depth of the eyes and facial structure, which is notably shallower only in the NPG portrait.

David Starkey (Phd) notes on the Hever Castle Portrait of Catherine Howard: "Furthermore, the removal of later over-paint, which had the effect of making the picture appear a crude copy, in fact revealed a face of considerable quality, and painted in a similar manner to the NPG version."

The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) lists in the description of the portrait (no 1119): "In the background a layer containing smalt has been identified beneath a brown upper layer. The original background appears to have been blue which has discoloured and was retouched with brown".


NOTE: Smalt is a blue cobalt glass based pigment.

Queen Catherine Howard
in Stained Glass


"Katrain"




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