The inspiration for this piece came from a legend about the romantic entanglements of one of history's
most notorious monarchs. The story has it that Henry VIII of England, in
an attempt to discredit his second queen, Anne Boleyn, and clear the marital
path to wife number three, spread the word that Anne — in addition to the
official line about being an adulterer — was possessed of a supernumerary
breast.
Such a gland (real or imagined) was known as a “witch's teat” and all
that name implies. If Anne Boleyn did actually possess anything unusual
in that area, the so-called teat would probably have been little more than
a superfluous nipple. Regardless, this chat about extra cleavage in the royal décolletage did get
some people whispering that their queen might deserve a trip to the stake or dunking stool.
Anne was also rumored to be polydactyl — that is, having on her hands more than the usual
number of digits. Presumably, these additional fingers further confirmed her as a witch and therefore a danger
to national security. Clearly, the tarot deck was stacked against her.
Here I have presented the tragic queen prior to her visit to the chopping block with all of her alleged
attributes prominently restored, in a portrait after the manner of Hans Holbein the Younger.
