Hans Holbein the Younger

• 1. A Boy In Augsburg

  ›

  The winter of 1497 brought Hans Holbein into the free imperial city of Augsburg. His father, Hans Holbein the Elder, ran a large and busy workshop there. The elder Holbein sometimes received help from his brother Sigmund, who was also a painter. Young Hans followed in his father's trade alongside his older brother Ambrosius. By 1515, both sons had moved to Basel as journeymen painters. They apprenticed themselves under Hans Herbster, the leading painter of that Swiss city. This early training grounded them in the Late Gothic style with its unsparing realism. Their work emphasized line and precise detail throughout their lives.

• 2. Murals And Humanists

  ›

  Basel became a center for learning and the printing trade when Holbein arrived. He painted murals for the House of the Dance and internal murals for the Council Chamber of the Town Hall. These works were known through preparatory drawings since many have not survived intact. The reformer Erasmus recommended him to Thomas More in England during 1526. Holbein quickly built a high reputation within this humanist circle. He produced woodcuts like The Dance of Death which refashioned late-medieval allegory as satire. The prints were not published until 1538 perhaps because they seemed too subversive. His religious output evolved from traditional altarpieces to satirical woodcuts supporting Protestant reforms.

• 3. First English Sojourn

  ›

  Holbein traveled to England in 1526 seeking work with a recommendation from Erasmus. He broke his journey at Antwerp where he delivered a letter to Pieter Gillis. Sir Thomas More welcomed him and found him a series of commissions. The artist painted portraits of courtiers such as Sir Henry Guildford and Lady Mary. He also created a panorama of the siege of Thérouanne for visiting French ambassadors. This spectacle showed the whole Earth environed with the sea like a very map or cart. During this first stay he worked largely for a humanist circle tied to Erasmus. He did not yet work directly for King Henry VIII but established an international reputation.

• 4. King's Painter And Court

  ›

  By 1536 Holbein was employed as the King's Painter on an annual salary of 30 pounds. He never received the highest pay on the royal payroll but held significant influence. In 1537 he painted his most famous image of Henry VIII standing in a heroic pose. The left section of a life-sized wall painting at Whitehall Palace survives only through engravings. The mural depicted Jane Seymour and Elizabeth of York alongside the monarch. Holbein designed festive decorations and works for jewelry plate and other precious objects. His portraits of the royal family record the court during years when Henry asserted supremacy over the Church of England. He traveled to Brussels in 1538 to sketch Christina of Denmark for the king.

• 5. Techniques And Mediums

  ›

  Everything began with a drawing for Hans Holbein who was a gifted draughtsman. He always made preparatory portraits though many drawings survive without painted versions. He transferred each drawn study to the panel using geometrical instruments. Then he built up the surface in tempera and oil recording tiny details down to every stitch. His miniature technique derived from medieval manuscript illumination known as limning. He adapted this skill to small forms while retaining a monumental effect. Holbein also designed intricate patterns etched into suits of Greenwich armor. These designs influenced English armor for nearly half a century after his death.

• 6. Reformation Art And Satire

  ›

  The Dance of Death series shows the figure of Death confronting individuals from all walks of life. None escape the skeleton's clutches even the pious. The prints were left incomplete by the death of block cutter Hans Lützelburger in 1526. They were eventually published with 41 woodcuts by his heirs without mention of Holbein. Holbein completed Icones or Series of the Old Gospel arranged with Melchior and Gaspar Trechsel. These works shared figures with the Dance of Death and appeared in later editions. He produced satirical religious woodcuts in England attacking Rome through Luther's ideas. His position remained ambiguous despite ties to Erasmus and More.

• 7. Legacy And Reputation

  ›

  Holbein created the standard image of Henry VIII which became a cultural icon. Several of his portraits have fixed historical figures like Erasmus Thomas More and Cromwell for posterity. John North calls him the cameraman of Tudor history because many appearances are known only through his art. No account of his life was written until Karel van Mander's Painter-Book of 1604. Van Mander included dubious anecdotes such as one about throwing a nobleman downstairs. Holbein does not seem to have founded a school making him a great one-off in art history. Modern painting in England may be said to have begun with his work.