An etching and engraving of a scene in the court of Henry VIII. Henry, recognisable with the broad shoulders, plumed hat, and ermine-lined coat from the famous Holbein portrait, leads Anne Boleyn by the hand toward the throne. She is fashionably dressed, and followed by a dwarf who holds the train of her gown. On the right, the throne is under a decorated canopy, at the foot of the stairs sits Cardinal Wolsey, with his legs crossed, and one hand raised to his face as if in thought. Two more courtiers - a lady sitting in a decorated alcove, and a man addressing her - are visible in the background.
Image: An etching and engraving of a scene in the court of Henry VIII. Henry, recognisable with the broad shoulders, plumed hat, and ermine-lined coat from the famous Holbein portrait, leads Anne Boleyn by the hand toward the throne. She is fashionably dressed, and followed by a dwarf who holds the train of her gown. On the right, the throne is under a decorated canopy, at the foot of the stairs sits Cardinal Wolsey, with his legs crossed, and one hand raised to his face as if in thought. Two more courtiers - a lady sitting in a decorated alcove, and a man addressing her - are visible in the background.

William Hogarth was one of the eighteenth century's most celebrated printmakers. Here, he shows Henry VIII leading Anne Boleyn to the throne, while Cardinal Wolsey glowers in the shadows.

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.

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