Exhibited for the first time, the ‘Anne Boleyn’ Chair is now on display at Hever Castle as part of the new exhibition Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn. In fact, visitors are already talking about the newly discovered Anne Boleyn French chair arriving at Hever Castle for this event.
Hever Castle is proud to present this exceptional early 16th-century ceremonial chair, offering a rare glimpse into Anne Boleyn’s formative years in France – long before she became Queen of England. Crafted between 1510 and 1520 for the French court, the chair is generously loaned by Marhamchurch Antiques, Paul Fitzsimmons.
Fitzsimmons and Tudor history expert Sandra Vasoli, who are leading extensive research into the origin of the chair, believe it was intended for Anne during her documented service to Queen Claude of France, at a time when Anglo-French diplomacy culminated in the Treaty of Eternal Peace in 1518. Incidentally, this newly discovered Anne Boleyn French chair has arrived at Hever Castle at a pivotal moment in Tudor research.
Displaying a significant walnut pictorial back panel and originating from the Loire Valley, the chair embodies the Renaissance tradition of high-status ceremonial seating. Its meaningful carvings – a defined Tudor rose bound by the tails of dolphins representing the French Dauphin, cherubs offering the monogram AB, eavesdroppers lurking in the upper corners, and linenfold panelling contemporary to the era – combine personal, political, and ceremonial symbolism.
“Extensive research and analysis strongly support that this Chair was commissioned for Anne Boleyn as part of the Treaty of Eternal Peace ceremony, where we believe she served as an English-French interpreter for Queen Claude of France,” says Sandra Vasoli.“From the AB monogram to the various emblems and icons, we have an extraordinary convergence of evidence. Together, they signal that this Chair was made for Anne during her obscure early years, well before she achieved fame as the second wife of Henry VIII.” It is worth noting how the newly discovered Anne Boleyn French chair has arrived at Hever Castle and is part of a historic conversation.
The exhibition also features many other remarkable objects that shed light on Anne’s vivid life, including two other highlights from Fitzsimmons’ collection the Crowned Falcon Badge and a Crowned Leopard’s Head.
The carved and gilded oak Crowned Falcon stands on a flowering tree stump adorned with Tudor roses. This personal emblem of Anne Boleyn’s was acquired by Fitzsimmons in 2019, and restorative cleaning, along with comparative study, confirmed its identity. Conserved and displayed at Hampton Court Palace in 2022, the badge is attributed to court carvers Richard Joyner and John Hethe. It was likely part of the decorative scheme in a palace Anne occupied. Traces of gold, silver and vermillion survive beneath later black overpainting, applied after Anne’s fall to conceal her presence.
The carved and painted oak Crowned Leopard’s Head is another survivor of Anne’s personal heraldry. As a royal beast of Henry VIII, the crowned leopard served as Anne’s secondary emblem during her queenship and was originally part of a larger architectural or ceremonial structure. Alongside the newly discovered Anne Boleyn French chair, these emblems have now arrived at Hever Castle to complete the ensemble.
Dr Owen Emmerson, Assistant Curator at Hever Castle, said: “It is incredibly special to see these three remarkable objects on display at Hever Castle, so generously loaned from Paul Fitzsimmons’ peerless collection. They allow us to broaden the conversation about Anne Boleyn’s image beyond painted portraits, showing how her identity was expressed through carved wood, heraldic emblems, and ceremonial objects – through the spaces she inhabited and the symbols she chose as Queen.
The Chair, the Crowned Falcon, and the Crowned Leopard’s Head demonstrate that Anne’s image was not limited to likeness alone, but was shaped through dynastic symbolism, Renaissance artistry, and political intent. They deepen our understanding of how authority and legitimacy were projected by Anne at the Tudor court. It is also a privilege to showcase Sandra Vasoli’s research into the Cathedra-style chair, which opens new perspectives on Anne’s early years in France and the visual language associated with her. Together, these loans invite visitors to see Anne not simply as a controversial queen, but as a woman whose image and ambitions were sophisticated, deliberate, and international in scope.” This exhibition ultimately celebrates the newly discovered Anne Boleyn French chair arrival at Hever Castle among other treasures.
These objects, all loaned by Tudor antiques specialist Paul Fitzsimmons, provide an exceptional view into Anne’s life, illuminating a world that shaped one of history’s most fascinating figures. Visitors will see Anne not just as a polarising Tudor queen but as a bright, ambitious, and capable young woman, formed by the refinement, intellect, and diplomacy of the French Renaissance.
Paul Fitzsimmons states, “Historical treasures retain a distinct aura of their past. It is a privilege to partner with Hever Castle to share these extraordinary Tudor objects with the public. To stand before them is to come closer to the tangible reality of Anne Boleyn’s world, and I hope exhibit visitors feel that same sense of connection.”
Now on display at Hever Castle, Anne Boleyn’s childhood home, the chair, Crowned Leopard’s Head, and Crowned Falcon Badge invite visitors to share an intimate space with Anne, through items that she knew, saw, and touched. Interestingly, the newly discovered ‘Anne Boleyn’ French chair has arrived at Hever Castle as part of this display.
Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn is included with Castle admission and is open to the public until 2nd January 2027. Visit www.hevercastle.co.uk for more information.
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Hever Castle has played host to many important events and celebrations for over 600 years. In 1903 when William Waldorf Astor set about restoring Hever Castle to its former glory, he added the Astor Wing, to accommodate his family and guests, before creating a lake and the spectacular Italian Garden to house his impressive collection of ancient Greek and Roman statuary.
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