Titian did the same in a portrait of  a pope.6 These "eyes" are also positioned near the lower edge as though Henry above them is present in Holbein's mind. Search over 215,000 works, 150,000 of which are illustrated from the 16th Century to the present day. Sitters who commissioned artists like Botticelli, Giovanni Bellini, Titian and later Rembrandt frequently observed, and often complained, that their portrait looked little like them.2 Even in the 16th century thoughtful art lovers were asking why the best artists seemed to produce the worst likenesses, a puzzle that continued to concern thinkers in the eighteenth century.3 It puzzled them though their concerns and the sitters' complaints which are well documented generally remain uncited by those more interested in the personality and biography of the sitter than the poetry of the artist. Throughout Henry’s reign portraits were produced by numerous artists; however, few artists were granted sittings with the king and instead relied on a limited number of face patterns. It is possible that the artist was adapting a face pattern that was originally intended to depict Henry VII or Prince Arthur as the underdrawn pattern shows the features of a thinner faced man with larger almond shaped eyes. Portrait of Henry VIII of England by Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543) c. 1536. The demand for his work increased in the years following his death due to both the importance of his sitters and his own fame and reputation as an artist. He made their pictures the official images for posterity. © Simon Abrahams. Henry was an extravagant spender, using the proceeds from the dissolution of the monasteries and acts of the Reformation Parliament. Contributions are moderated. His portraits of the royal family and nobles are a historical visual record of the court during the years when Henry was asserting his supremacy over the English church. Click next thumbnail to continue, Detail of Holbein's Portrait of Henry VIII, There is a possibility, too, that Henry's headgear was chosen by the artist or its key features accentuated for his own purposes. The development of portraiture as a genre in early sixteenth-century England, coupled with Henry VIII’s desire to present himself as a powerful monarch whose influence stretched beyond England, meant that Henry VIII’s likeness was far more widely replicated than that of his predecessors. National Museum of African American History and Culture, J.F.Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, National Roman Legion Museum & Caerleon Fortress & Baths, Musée National du Moyen Age – National Museum of the Middle Ages, Akrotiri Archaeological Site – Santorini – Thera, Museum of the History of the Olympic Games, Alte Nationalgalerie – National Gallery, Berlin, Deutsches Historisches Museum – German Historical Museum, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía- Virtual Tour, Nationalmuseum – National Museum of Fine Arts, Stockholm, National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Jewish Museum of Australia – Virtual Tour, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, Australia, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Buenos Aires), Most Popular Museums, Art and Historical Sites, Museum Masterpieces and Historical Objects. Hans Holbein the Younger, Portrait of Henry VIII (c.1537) Oil on panel. In NPG 1376 individual hairs have been put in at the edge of the hat and some of the black paint has been flicked downwards into the hair. The wound festered chronically for the remainder of his life and became ulcerated, thus preventing him from maintaining the level of physical activity he had previously enjoyed. The many copies made of Holbein’s portraits gave Holbein’s depictions a lasting effect on Henry’s public image. 5. Of course, Henry may have worn such a beard but Holbein regularly squared his sitter's features to echo that characteristic of his own face. Jane Seymore, the eldest daughter of Sir John Seymour, was lady-in-waiting, first to Catherine of Aragon, then to Anne Boleyn. Henry recognized the power of the images Holbein created and encouraged other artists to copy the painting and distributed the various versions around the realm, giving them as gifts to friends and ambassadors. Please could you let us know your source of information. He returned in 1531/2 and remained here until his death. Despite the money from these sources, he was continually on the verge of financial ruin due to his extravagance, as well as his numerous costly unsuccessful wars. By ticking permission to publish you are indicating your agreement for your contribution to be shown on this collection item page. Henry VII and Henry VIII: Artist: Hans Holbein the Younger: Artist dates: 1497/8 - 1543: Date made: about 1536-7: Medium and support: Ink and watercolour on paper: Dimensions: 257.8 × 137.2 cm: Acquisition credit: On loan from National Portrait Gallery, London. It is displayed here under Fair Use. In NPG 4690 the drawing to lay out the king’s features was almost certainly traced, which could explain why the picture appears rather formulaic. Privacy Policy. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. The original line of the chin can be seen in the x-ray and with infrared reflectography. If you have information to share please complete the form below. He is easily identifiable though his long nose and small, but very blue, eyes. Image: Tager Stonor Richardson. Oil on panel, 28 x 20 cm. Many artists have placed such "eyes" at the lower edge of a frame for the same purpose as I have already shown in Dürer's 1500 Self-portrait. See: Hans Holbein. 'The Ambassadors', also from this period, depicts two visitors to the court of Henry VIII. Henry VIII (1491 – 1547) was King of England from 1509 until his death. Anne of Cleves (1515-1557) German princess, daughter of John, Duke of Cleves, a noted champion of Protestantism in Germany, was chosen as his forth wife, first of all for political reasons. Cette œuvre est également dans le domaine public dans tous les pays pour lesquels le droit d’auteur a une durée de vie de 100 ans ou moins après la mort de l’auteur. Spotted an error, information that is missing (a sitter’s life dates, occupation or family relationships, or a date of portrait for example) or do you know anything that we don't know? Please note your email address will not be displayed on the page nor will it be used for any marketing material or promotion of any kind. NPG 4690 shows Henry VIII at an earlier age, whilst still married to Katherine of Aragon and before Holbein came to England. It is one of the most iconic images of Henry and is one of the most famous portraits of any British monarch. There is a strong and seemingly growing belief among those who study portraiture that patrons, especially in the pre-modern era, stipulated how they should appear and that the composition was as much influenced by the sitter as by the artist. Ludovico Gonzaga noted of Mantegna: “Andrea is a good master in other things, in portraits he could have more grace – in portraits he does not do so well.” Woods-Marsden recounts how “when..Pisanello and Jacopo Bellini made competitive portraits of Leonello dEste in 1441, the Marchese found it incomprehensible that he could not persuade the two artists to reconcile their different rendering of his features.” Both Domenico Ghirlandaio and Rembrandt had sitters who were so upset with their likeness that the former was taken to arbitration, the latter to court. Search over 215,000 works, 150,000 of which are illustrated from the 16th Century to the present day. The two later portraits of Henry (NPG 1376 and NPG 3638) were probably produced at some point between 1535 and 1540, and although they still follow the Burgundian model of a fairly contemplative image of the king within a small format, it is clear that this is the man whom Holbein would turn into an icon. Read Note. This possibility is supported by the similarity of the portrait of Henry in a red slashed tunic (NPG 1376) to another surviving portrait in the Society of Antiquaries. Portrait of Henry VIII. Gold chains have great significance in art granted by royal patrons in the 16th and 17th centuries to their favored artists who proudly display them in their self-portraits. ★ Portrait du roi Henri VIII (1536) Le seul portrait survivant de Henry par Hans Holbein. Ce fichier a été identifié comme étant exempt de restrictions connues liées au droit d’auteur, y compris tous les droits connexes et voisins. She wrote: “the painter has done his work so badly that it does not resemble us in the slightest way” and complained in a separate letter that it was difficult to find a good painter who could "counterfeit perfectly the natural face." R: Detail of Holbein's Self-portrait (c.1542), The alphabet was in Holbein's favor too. Holbein’s Portrait of Henry VIII (c.1537) There is a strong and seemingly growing belief among those who study portraiture that patrons, especially in the pre-modern era, stipulated how they should appear and that the composition was as much influenced by the sitter as by the artist. Titian's Portrait of Pope Paul III and His Grandsons (1545-6). Further illustrations of the level of detail of the technique can be seen in the photomicrograph images of the fur in both paintings. No draughtsman has ever produced a more convincing portrayal of a living presence in portraiture than Hans Holbein. Watch a film clip on the artist from the BBC Archive in the Media section below. In 1536, the Queen Catherine died and Anne Boleyn was accused of infidelity and executed. Art, few people realize, demands it. Sitter associated with 25 portraitsArtist associated with 308 portraitsPainter, printmaker and designer, best known for the compelling realism of his portraits. © Simon Abrahams. The National Portrait Gallery will NOT use your information to contact you or store for any other purpose than to investigate or display your contribution. He became grossly obese, and this hastened his early death. In 1509, he married his brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon.

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