Catherine Parr or Lady Jane Grey?

From History Calling

Which TUDOR QUEEN does this portrait show? Is it Catherine Parr or Lady Jane Grey. Henry VIII’s sixth wife, or his great-niece? This painting now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in London and is currently identified as Catherine, but for many years it was thought to be Lady Jane Dudley (to use her married name), the tragic nine-day Queen of England who was executed at the Tower of London at the age of 16 on the orders of Mary I. In this Tudor art history documentary from History Calling, we look at the story behind the painting. I’ll take you through the reasons for these two identifications and tell you what we know about its creation and the Tudor court painter behind it, Master John. We’ll then discuss the sitter’s clothing, the jewellery she is wearing and even the Persian carpet she is standing on. Particular attention will be paid to the crown-shaped broach she sports and its appearance in other portraits of Catherine Parr and one thought to be Jane Grey and also in jewellery inventories. Her pendant is important too and appears in another National Portrait Gallery image of Catherine, while her girdle may be traced to an inventory of Queen Katherine Howard’s belongings showing that the six wives of Henry VIII inherited each other’s possessions. I’ll walk you through the provenance of the picture and the stories attached to it by its previous owners regarding this lady’s identity and tell you how overpainting has changed it, so that we no longer see all the colours the artist originally intended.