The Psalter of Anne Boleyn: A New Case for its Commissioner

Sometime in the early 1530s, an illuminated French Psalter was commissioned for Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII. A vernacular translation, its true importance has hitherto been overlooked within Anne Boleyn’s library; its commissioner is unknown, though several have been suggested. This article explores the possibility that the Psalter is one of several manuscripts commissioned for Anne by her brother George, Viscount Rochford. By suggesting a new stemma for the manuscript, studying its content as it pertained to the siblings’ interest in French evangelical thought, and examining its use of decorations, this article aims to recontextualise it within Anne Boleyn’s extant library.