In this season, we'll see him marry Jane Seymour, mother of the future King Edward VI. But what made me pause was Showtime's casting of Anne of Cleves -- yeah, my girl, Joss Stone, the British blues singer. Love her music, absolutely love it. But I'm trying to picture how they'll "ugly" her up, since it's long been believed that Henry divorced Anne based on her less-than-gorgeous features.
Just for comparison's sake, here's a pic of a painting which historians think is the best representation, or one of them, of Anne of Cleves. It's said that Hans Holbein prettied her up in this portrait to impress the king since he was marrying her sight unseen.Hey, if you feel froggy, check out Tudors Online to see some actual shots from season three. There's actually two pics of Joss as Anne of Cleves, but since I'm always leery of copyright on the internet, I leaned toward the safe side and leave you with a link.
2 comments:
Yea - that seems like weird casting to me too. I always felt mixed feeling for Anne of Cleves - sad for her that Henry rejected her because of her looks, yet relieved that she made it out alive. And I read somewhere, though I don't know how true it is, that Hans Holbein painted such a beautiful picture of her because he was painting through the eyes of love - not to impress a king.
I hadn't heard that opinion, Kristie...interesting. The books I've read, it was basically so he'd keep his head (y'know Henry was found of chopping heads off), and to please his king, he prettied her up in art. It all worked out though, Anne and Henry were great friends after the divorce.
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