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History

King Henry VIII's headboard is London bound

<![CDATA[A beautiful headboard from the bed of King Henry VIII and his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, is currently on its way to London, where it will feature in a pop-up exhibition at Bonhams. The headboard was originally on display in Scotland, as a part of Glasgow's Burrell Collection.
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Unfortunately, the marriage bed to which the headboard was attached was never used for its intended purpose. King Henry’s marriage to Anne was never consummated, and was annulled within the year. Later, Anne said that, on their wedding night, they had just sat on the bed and played cards.
King Henry VIII married Anne of Cleves in January 1540, a few years after his previous wife, Jane Seymour, died in childbirth. He fell for Anne after seeing a portrait of her that had been painted by Hans Holbein the Younger, and signed the marriage contract based on that image alone. But when she arrived in London in December 1539, The King was shocked, and it is even believed that he called her a “Flanders Mare”.
Nevertheless, King Henry proved to be a good husband, and Queen Anne is said to have praised him to her lady-in-waiting, saying that he would kiss her goodnight and fondly bid her farewell in the mornings. In July 1540, their marriage was annulled on the grounds of non-consummation, and less than a month later, King Henry married his fifth wife, nineteen year-old Catherine Howard. Anne received a large settlement that included Richmond Palace.
Despite their failed marriage, Anne of Cleves continued to share a cordial relationship with King Henry, who referred to her as his “beloved sister”, and his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth.She went on to outlive her successors – Catherine Howard, who was beheaded for treason, and Catherine Parr, who died in childbirth only a year after The King’s death – to become the last of Henry VIII’s six wives to die.
The 16th century headboard from Henry and Anne’s bed depicts a man with a bulging codpiece and a woman with downcast eyes. In their hands are the phallic symbols of a sword and a serpent, and angelic cherubs – perhaps meant to represent the children that the marriage could have produced – fly over their heads.
The history behind the headboard was uncovered by Pat Collins, a curator at the Burrell, who also repaired the artifact after discovering it in two pieces among the museum’s collection. About Henry and Anne’s failed marriage, Ms. Collins said: “The irony is that of all his wives Anne, a healthy, strong young woman, was the one who probably could have born him lots of children – if only he’d been able to accept her.”
In addition to the headboard, the exhibition will feature a self-portrait by Rembrandt, a Cezanne painting, and a 1,000 year old Korean porcelain bowl. This will be the first time that the collection leaves Scotland, after an act to that effect was passed by the Scottish parliament in January. This was against the wishes of Sir William Burell, who left the treasures to the city in 1944 and explicitly forbade them from being sent overseas.
Another item of historical interest is a wall hanging of black velvet and white silk, made for King Henry and his second wife, Anne Boleyn.
Photo credit: CircaSassy via photopin cc]]>