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Henry VIII, the Reign
By Mark Holinshed
A New Look – Holbein and Mallard
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The man below, on the left, needs no introduction, he is also the man on the right.
I have written elsewhere, that I am sceptical when it comes to the history that has come down to us about Henry VIII. Most of the material, written and broadcast, about the reign of Henry VIII is fronted with an image derived from a work by Hans Holbein the Younger.
Jean Mallard
Occasionally a publication will contain, if not front, an image of Henry VIII from the kings Psalter, his own personal book of Psalms, which from 1540 he kept with him and wrote, in his own hand, various comments about the Psalms. The book was created by a Frenchman, Jean Mallard.
In the attached pages, ‘Holbein’ and ‘Mallard’ I have put together some images of the man. Where I have managed to find them, I have also put in a link to the institution where they are kept, which in most cases provides a lot of detail. The National Portrait Gallery, British Library and Royal Collection Trust, I think, deserve a lot of credit for the detail they provide. If you have the time to have a good look, there is some fascinating stuff there. Respecting the adage "show don’t tell" I have purposely kept my own comments to a minimum, but I just wonder… Has Hans Holbein helped to paint a disfigured picture of Henrician history? 
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Henry VIII chose his fourth wife , Anne of Cleves, over and above her sister, Amalia, from this portrait - but something went wrong.
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When Cromwell asked him how he liked the Lady Anne Henry retorted that she was nothing so well as she was spoken of and if he had known before as much as he knew now she should never have come into the realm.
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