Hogarth’s print was probably inspired by Colley Cibber’s recent revival of Henry VIII at Drury Lane Theatre. Cibber, a frequent 'improver' of Shakespeare's work, had capitalised on the coronation of George II by adding a set-piece coronation scene for Anne Boleyn - or, as the play calls her, 'Anna Bullen'.
However, Hogarth’s picture was widely read as his own comment on contemporary royalty. George I's hated favourite Robert Walpole, who was briefly ousted on the accession of George II, was popularly seen as the prototype for Wolsey, Henry's own disgruntled minister.