Holbein, Hans

(1497-1543)

Holbein, Hans, the Younger (1497?-1543) Probably the most accomplished and
penetratingly Realist portrait painter the North has produced. His early
portraits show his gift for characterization, and his religious works show him
as either grimly realist or decorative rather than devotional. His
international reputation as a portraitist was established by 1532, and
eventually he painted for Henry VIII, who also employed Holbein as a
goldsmith's designer and sent him abroad to paint prospective brides. His later
practice of painting from drawings, instead of from the sitter, was
strengthened by the requirements of extensive court portraiture. His portraits
-- life-sized and in miniature -- became more linear in style and more formal
in treatment than his early works, partly through their emphasis on detail,
partly because working only from drawings led him to be less sensitive in
handling and perception.

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