Anne of Cleves character jug produced by Arthur Bowker of Fenton, England, circa 1955. Henry VIII's fourth marriage to Anne of Cleves (1515-1551) was, unlike his previous two, not a love match, but a political arrangement by Thomas Cromwell. Anne was, through no fault of her own, ill-prepared for life at the English Court. In her life at the Ducal Court of Dusseldorf she had been limited to an education strong on domesticity, not fine arts. Finding little favor with Henry in a union for which the political reason was no longer valid, Anne was wed for only six months before the marriage contract was annulled. Dubbed the Flanders Mare, perhaps unfairly since she appears no less attractive than any other of Henry's wives, Anne was retired to the mountain country and presented a house and estate where she lived graciously, surviving Henry by more than a decade.
Maker:
Arthur Bowker
England
circa 1955
Model #:
Henry VIII & Six Wives Set
character jug
Size:
tiny
Height:
2"
