Thursday, January 6, 2011

Save Queen Anne Boleyn! (the portrait)

While scanning my usual sources for Tudor news I stumbled upon a very upsetting update from the National Portrait Gallery in London.

The most famous painting of Queen Anne Boleyn (see below) is in extremely unstable condition and in desperate need of restoration. The Gallery has removed it from public display until it can be repaired. (See the NPG explanation below)

I barely took a moment to think about it before I clicked the link to donate to this restoration effort. Seeing that portrait in person on my visit in 2008 was an event I will never forget. There are so few (verified) physical representations of Anne left in this world, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't contribute to saving this important piece of history. If you are a fan of Anne, art, or just preserving history, I hope you'll contribute too.

From the NPG website:

Help support the conservation work on the portrait of Anne Boleyn

This important portrait of Anne Boleyn is in urgent need of conservation treatment. It is in a particularly vulnerable and unstable condition as a result of structural problems with the wooden panel. Vertical cracking has occurred across the picture causing minor paint loss where the wood has split (see the photograph taken in raking light below).



We need to act now as the damage is being caused by the long term effects of an unsuitable cradle (an applied wooden panel support) which must be removed. Therefore this important and much loved painting needs urgent conservation treatment to ensure it can be put back on public display.

The Gallery hopes to raise £4,000 for conservation work on this picture, and with your help we very much hope to be able to undertake this work in early 2011.

8 comments:

  1. Congratulation to Katherine Marcella who correctly answered our Tudor trivia question and will soon be the owner of an autographed copy of Alison Weir's 'The Lady in the Tower.' For those that didn't win, I have one more autographed copy to give away when the page reaches 1,000!

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  2. It is in a particularly vulnerable and unstable condition as a result of structural problems with the wooden panel. Vertical cracking has occurred across the picture causing minor paint loss where the wood has split.

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  3. You are right, what was I thinking.
    Great job and a good theme. And thanks for the mention.
    Thanks for the kind words and the plug. Much appreciated.

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  4. It was very amazing photos and Vertical cracking has occurred across the picture .Thanks for sharing.

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