Katherine of Aragon (1485-1536)
Katherine was intelligent, articulate, pious and beloved. When she was 16, she was wed to Arthur, Prince of Wales. Upon his death after just one year, Katherine claimed that the marriage was never consummated, which allowed her to marry Arthur’s brother Henry.
Katherine was admired and loved by her subjects, but after six births resulting in only one living daughter, Princess Mary, Henry turned from her, and fell in love with Anne Boleyn. He sought a divorce on the grounds that it was against God's law to marry your brother's widow. Katherine fought for her marriage, but was eventually divorced and lived the rest of her life banished and abandoned.
Katherine wears a gown of sumptuous white satin featuring an intricate and repeating embroidered pattern in gold. Her bodice is trimmed in gold. Her under sleeves are soft yellow satin. Her underskirt and cap with lappets are a deep golden silk. Her cap and lappets are trimmed in pearls. Around her neck she wears a strand of pearls, a gold chain and a brooch of mother of pearl with a tiny diamond at its center.
Katherine was made in my smoke free, one cat household. She is made of cotton muslin and fiberfill. I made her and her clothing using a combination of machine and hand stitching. Her hair is felting wool, and worn in a braid down her back.