A team of computer scientists has announced the discovery of a previously unidentified portrait that they contend may be the only surviving sketch of Anne Boleyn created during her lifetime. Using facial recognition technology, the researchers analysed a collection of Tudor-era portraits and believe they have identified a portrait by German artist Hans Holbein depicting Henry VIII’s second wife. This contrasts with earlier portraits traditionally accepted as images of Boleyn, which were thought to have been made posthumously.

The research, led by Karen L Davies, involved comparing facial features from various historical drawings, including those of Boleyn’s first cousins and her daughter, Queen Elizabeth I, to establish familial resemblance. The team argued that their analysis showed a clustering pattern indicating a family likeness in the newly identified drawing. They also re-examined a sketch long believed to depict Anne Boleyn and proposed that it was instead a portrait of her mother, Elizabeth Boleyn (née Howard). One drawing in the study bore the handwritten label “Anne Bollein Queen,” which the team suggested had been misattributed.

Ms. Davies described the discovery as "exciting" and highlighted the potential of applying this digital facial recognition technique to other lost or mislabelled historical portraits, which could offer new insights into Tudor history. She noted that her work is self-funded while she holds a cleaning job since August 2024 in order to pursue her passion for historical research.

However, some experts have expressed considerable scepticism about the conclusions. Dr. Bendor Grosvenor, a specialist in modern art history, dismissed the findings as “a load of rubbish.” Dr. Charlotte Bolland, senior curator for research and 16th-century collections at the National Portrait Gallery, also voiced doubts regarding the methodology and identification.

The discovery has thus sparked debate among historians and art experts about the reliability of facial recognition analysis applied to Renaissance artwork and the longstanding visual legacy of Anne Boleyn, a figure central to the English Reformation and Tudor monarchy.