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Self Portrait, ca. 1542
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Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543) is not only a favorite of mine but probably of many others. Many have seen his astonishing portraits from the court English King Henry VIII, but his oeuvre includes many other astonishing works. Studying his works--particularly his portraits--the first thing that strikes me is the utter acuteness of his vision. Holbein has an truly astonishing eye for telling detail, besides making what appear to be incredibly realistic images.
He was German, born in Augsburg though most of his working life was spent in Basel, Switzerland, and in England. He was taught first in his father's workshop in Augsburg and later as apprentice to Hans Herbster in Basel. He may have visited Italy at some time during youth as well. With his elder brother Ambrosius, he became a journeyman painter in Basel around or before 1515 and began a busy career, designing woodcuts, painting portraits, and other works. With his father, who was a master painter and draftsman, he undertook a long project in Lucerne, painting murals, in 1517.
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"Erasmus of Rotterdam," 1523
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In 1519 Holbein returned to Basel and was again busy and successful. For the succeeding seven years he did murals both outside and inside (notably for the Town Hall), a series of religious works, portraits, designs for stained glass windows, book illustrations, and even alphabet design. In short, he was a master of many arts. But it was Holbein's portrait of
Desiderius Erasmus the philosopher, theologian and scholar, who was already world-famous. It was his portraits of Erasmus that in turn made Holbein world famous as well.
Certainly, it was his portrait of Erasmus (and a letter of introduction from the subject) that gained him work in England, where he went in 1526. Holbein's situation in Basel seems to have been less successful by then, possibly owing to the Lutheran revolution in northern Europe. Whatever the reason for his move, Holbein was quite successful in England as well. Hosted by Thomas More he had access to much of the Royal Court despite being a foreigner, and painted quite a few members. His most important commission was a portrait of his host, who would become Lord Chancellor. Holbein only stayed in England for two years before returning to Basel and his family, having earned a great deal. The atmosphere in Basel was difficult, though, owing to religious ferment. Iconoclasts destroyed religious imagery, including some by Holbein, and there was a reduction in commssions for religious work.
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"Sir Thomas More," 1527
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"Thomas Cromwell," 1533
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Eventually, in 1532, Holbein returned to England, though society was hardly less turbulent than in Switzerland. King Henry VIII was launching his own version of rebellion against the Church, seeking to set aside his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. Holbein's former patron and host Thomas More. The latter, as Lord Chancellor, felt unable to approve the move and so resigned his position in 1532. As a foreigner dependent on the good will of the Court, Holbein distanced himself from his old host in favor of the newly-powerful Boleyn family and
Thomas Cromwell who became Henry VIII's most important advisor. His portrait of Cromwell, made a year or so later, is a telling likeness, austere and grim.
It was during these years that some of Holbein's greatest works were made. Perhaps the most praised and most puzzling is "The Ambassadors," a double, life-size portrait of two Frenchmen, one the actual ambassador to the English court of Henry VIII and the other a priest who would later become Bishop of Lavaur. Holbein larded the painting with metaphor and allusion. Most prominent is the anamorphic skull--that grey smear across the bottom. If you can approach the picture from high on the right or low on the left the smear becomes a toothless skull, a "memento mori." There are musical instruments, scientific instruments, a globe, books, rich draperies and a thick rug, and all of them have significance in the context of the sitters' identities and the religious and social turmoil of the time.
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| "The Ambassadors," 1533 |
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"Charles de Solier, comte de Morette," 1534
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One of my favorite portraits from these years is seldom seen, the exceptionally powerful half-length portrait of Charles de Solier, who acted as ambassador to England in 1534. Henry was attempting to gain French support for his abandonment of Catherine of Aragon. Charles looks difficult to influence, to my eyes.
As painter to the crown, Holbein made a number of portraits of Henry VII, and oddly the one that is still
most famous was destroyed by fire in the late 17th century. That work was so famous that many copies still exist, some of which give us a close idea of the grandeur of the original. Another (below) that has survived suggests to me the corpulence and smallness of Henry, wrapped in fur, silk, and precious metals. There is a kind of cruelty in the smallness of the monarch's mouth. Given Holbein's acuteness of vision, this king looks like a dreadful person.
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"Henry VIII of England," 1536
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Holbein died in London in 1543, possibly of plague, although the cause of his death is disputed.
You might enjoy
The King's Painter, a biography of Holbein by Franny Moyle, published last fall.
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Also in this series:
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