Hans Holbein the Younger's life is discovered through his artworks, his
family, his patrons and the people who met him. Born into a family of
talented artists, Holbein learnt to be a draughtsman, a painter, a
portraitist, and a designer for woodcuts. What could not be taught was
his remarkable skill as a portrait painter. From the Augsburg workshop
of his youth, he would achieve high status as Painter to the King at the
English court of Henry VIII. Holbein had a talent to engage with his
clients, proven by repeated commissions. He could capture a moment in
time, from Erasmus sitting in his study in Basel, to rich Hanseatic
merchants seated in their London offices. His gift as a painter was
grounded in a sound knowledge of pigments, practical costings and time
required to complete a work. In his lifetime he created a unique
portfolio of ground-breaking art, predominantly in portraiture. This
glorious and comprehensive volume is both a biography and gallery of his
work. Hans Holbein the Younger learned his craft from his father, a
distinguished painter of religious art. The younger Holbein would become
celebrated in Basel, as one of the four greatest artists in Germany, and
in England acknowledged as the 'Apelles' of his time for the superb
realism of his portraiture. Born into a family of talented artists in
the Northern Renaissance, Holbein's future career was set at an early
age. He learnt to be a draughtsman, a painter, a portraitist, and a
designer for woodcuts. What could not be taught was his remarkable skill
as a portrait painter that rose beyond that of his father and brother,
uncle and cousins. From initiation in an Augsburg workshop as a youth,
he would achieve high status as Painter to the King, at the English
court of Henry VIII. Holbein had a talent to engage with his clients,
proven by repeated commissions. He could capture a moment in time, from
Erasmus sitting in his study in Basel, to rich Hanseatic merchants
seated in their London offices. His gift as a painter was also based on
a sound knowledge of pigments, practical costings and time required to
complete a work. In his lifetime he created a unique portfolio of
ground-breaking work, predominantly in portraiture, that continues to
astound today, near five centuries after his death. The details of
Holbein the Younger's life are not well documented, and painstaking
research gleans what we know, or can ascertain, through his artworks,
his family, his patrons and the people who met him. A fascinating
picture of a complex man emerges, who trod a careful path in a time of
turbulent political and religious upheaval, and who was a longstanding
friend of leading thinkers of the time as well as making the highest
connections in the royal court. This volume is both an in-depth
biography of his life and times, and a comprehensive gallery; the second
part of the book presents his works from first margin scribblings as a
teenager in a copy of Erasmus' Praise of Folly, his intricate woodcuts
and drawings for stained glass, building decorations and murals; his
many preparatory sketches, and of course his outstanding portfolio of
portraits that managed not only to delight their patrons but also reveal
the character and individuality of the sitter. It was Holbein's
depiction of Henry VIII that has indelibly created our enduring image of
the Tudor king, in perhaps one of the earliest and most impressive
pieces of marketing. The author also explores the multiple versions of
iconic paintings produced during and after Holbein's lifetime. With more
than 500 reproductions, this beautifully illustrated book is essential
reading for anyone who would like to learn about the life, work and
influence of an extraordinary painter.
