Rachel Glines

David Carney
2720
April 25, 2016

Portrait Henry VIII and Hans Holbein the Younger

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. However, some pictures are worth so
much more than 1000 words. Some pieces are able to convey a persons, charisma, arrogance
and personality. Then occasionally, an artist come along that captures the subjects being so well
that generations born centuries after the commission are able to know the story. Such is the case
of the Portrait of Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the younger.
This specific piece, created sometime during the years of 1537-1547, governs room 1 in
the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool England. The unknown artist who copied Holbeins original
Henry VIII from a Whitehall Mural, used Holbeins original notes and sketches for this
reproduction. Drenched in telltale Holbein mastery, the linear details are intricate and steady.
Henry is depicted in form-defining line with sparing use of shading to define the figure, a
distinctive Holbein trait (Wolf, Holbein, 2004).
The deep red hues used with greys and gold of Henrys tunic are indicative colors of the
renaissance period and described as being in complete harmony with Northern Renaissance
Traditions (visual-arts-encyclopedia.com). Gothic influences from Holbeins native Germany
are also evident in the piece. The finely detailed columns and buttresses in Gothic architecture
manifest in the precise flowing lines and detailed patterns in Henrys clothing (visual-arts-

encyclopedia.com). The depth of the portrait is presented with little use of chiaroscuro, unlike
those of a Rembrandt.
Its sheer size presents Henry larger than life. The oil on canvas measures 1345cm in
width by 2390cm in height. Henry dominates the portrait presented against a non-descript, yet
stately backdrop. Henry is idealized with an erect stature, legs apart, and shoulders almost as
wide as the painting itself. Confidence and pride and slight arrogance pours from Henry as he
stands with his right hand propped on his waist while his left arm is slightly flexed with his index
and thumb mingle with a gold chain to which an ornate dagger is hanging from his belt. A
jeweled belt lay shallowly draped across his chest ensuring his gold threaded crimson velvet and
fur cowl remain secure. Ornate clothing, topped by his round, bejeweled, feathered cap, play the
supporting role in the piece. Henrys expression is slight, presented with a serene, yet slightly
smug, face with firm and alert eyes that seduce the viewer across the room.
The portrait lacks iconography, which in itself, emphasizes Holbeins talent in capturing,
not only the physical qualities of his subjects, but the character of the subject. There are no items
associated with royals in the portrait. No crown, no scepter, yet I immediately knew who the
bold and defiant subject was when I entered room one at the Walker. Holbein presented
accessories in his portraits almost as an author would use supporting characters in a novel.
Attention to those accessory details aided in capturing the subject as a whole.
Holbeins preliminary drawings of his sitters contain detailed notations
concerning jewelry and other costume decorations as well. Sometimes such
objects point to specific events or concerns in the sitters life, or they act as
attributes referring to a sitters occupation or character. The relation between

accessories and face is a charged and stimulating one that avoids simple
correspondence (Harbison).
The gold threadwork and intricate detail on Henrys wardrobe, in conjunction with the
jewels trickling down his chest, are a sufficient stand in for the missing crown and scepter.
Other portraits Holbein completed in his signature mannerism include the subjects of Jane
Seymour, Anne of Cleaves, Thomas Moore, and most notably his piece titled The Ambassadors.
Holbeins ability to capture the character of his subjects so thoroughly through his
command of fine details, lines and accessories is unique. So unique, that these portraits,
especially that of Henry the VIII, is what people envision when hearing the name. History class
tells the tale of a King who killed his wives during the Tudor reign. Holbeins portrait presents a
confident, narcissistic, and defiant man who created a new church when lustful desires were
denied by the Pope. This piece captures a king with an expression as if to say Henry knew
exactly the way in which history would remember him.
500 plus years after the completion of the commissioned piece, Holbein and King Henry
VIII werent wrong. An American girl in room one of the Walker Art Gallery leaned over to her
Irish boyfriend and said I know who that is. Thats Henry the VIII. That is the mastery of
Holbein. His ability to capture a being so precisely in character and quality that the illustration of
the man is forever associated with history told.

Portrait of Henry the VIII

Hans Holbein the Younger
1537-1547
Oil on Canvas
1345cm x 2390cm

Photographed by Rachel
Glines as displayed in the
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
England. May 27, 2014.

As shown at
http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/
4

Works Cited
"Art Encyclopedia Visual Arts of Painting | Sculpture |Architecture Photography | Ceramics and
Other Crafts." Visual Arts Encyclopedia. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
Harbison, Craig S. "Hans Holbein the Younger." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia
Britannica. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.
Masters in Art: A Series of Illustrated Monographs. Boston: Bates & Guild, 1901.
Books.google.com. Google, 30 Jan. 2015. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. Original From: UC
Southern Regional Library Facility
Wolf, Norbert, and Hans Holbein. Hans Holbein the Younger, 1497/98-1543: The German
Raphael. Koln: Taschen, 2004. Google Scholar. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.