Rare portrait of Katherine Parr, sixth wife of Henry VIII, auctioned at Sotheby’s

Rare portrait of Katherine Parr, sixth wife of Henry VIII, auctioned at Sotheby’s

An exceptionally rare portrait of Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of King Henry VIII, went under the hammer at Sotheby’s in the summer of 2023.

Dating to the mid-16th century, it is the only known contemporary portrait of the Tudor queen consort in private hands.

The work is one of only two surviving portraits of Katherine Parr, the other being a full-length c.1545 painting held in the National Portrait Gallery of London, also attributed to Master John.

Experts believe it could have been commissioned by King Henry VIII before his death, or by his son, King Edward VI, who enjoyed a good relationship with Katherine.

It was expected to sell for between £600,000 – £800,000 when it was auctioned.

The painting depicts Katherine Parr, who survived Henry VIII, wearing an elaborate square-necked Tudor gown, including a headdress, embroidered cuffs and an ornate belt.

She stares into the distance, her hands clasped together, her head slightly lowered, wearing a crown-shaped jewel at her chest.

This item of jewellery identifies her as Henry VIII’s wife, as it has been recorded in inventories of her jewellery.

As she is not among King Henry VIII’s b-headed wives, Katherine Parr is often overlooked in the annals of English history.

The final queen consort of the House of Tudor, she outlived Henry by nearly two years.
With four husbands, two before the king and one after, Katherine Parr continues to be the most-married English queen.

Katherine Parr’s extraordinary life is gaining newfound attention with the recent release of the film Firebrand. Starring Jude Law and Alicia Vikander, the adaptation of the 2013 novel Queen’s Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle.

So how did the portrait do at the auction, i hear you ask….

The portrait did astonishingly well……
It was bought by an undisclosed buyer….

It fetched four times the estimate, selling for an impressive £3,436,000!!! ($4.4 million!!!)

🌹 The 16th century portrait of Katherine Parr, which was estimated at £600,000 – £800,000.
Attributed to Master John.
Courtesy of Sotheby’s