Hello and welcome back to our weekly blog where twice a week we get a new blog article to embark on a new adventure through history.

In the last article, we saw the art of the brilliant and talented artist, Levina Teerlinc. In this article, we have a new art gallery to see *Drumrolls please*

And our artist for the day is…Hans Holbein the Younger
 

A bit about the artist

Hans Holbein the Younger was a German painter, and designer, well known for the precise rendering of his drawings and the compelling realism of his portraits, particularly those recording the court of King Henry VIII of England. He was taught by his father, Hans Holbein the Elder and even became a member of the Basel Artists' Guild in 1519.

But fate had other plans and soon enough Holbein left Basel late in 1526, with a letter of introduction from Erasmus, to travel from the Netherlands to England. Though he was only 28 years old, he would achieve remarkable success in England. He was considered as a highly versatile and technically accomplished artist who also designed jewellery and metalwork.

But of course, aside from jewellery and metalwork, Holbein's commissions also included portraits of well-known figures like Sir Thomas More,Jane Seymour and Henry VIII that have most shaped his legacy. By 1533 Holbein was already painting court personalities, and four years later he officially entered the service of King Henry VIII of England.

Now, for the part we've all been waiting for,I’m sure you all are curious to see his art. Well then, why don’t we get to it?
 

To the art gallery

Holbein's early works as he rose to fame were a series of portraits of wealthy merchants during his time in the Basel Artists' Guild.
One of the portraits among these series is 'The Portrait of Georg Giszewas'


The portrait of Georg Giszewas, painted with oil and tempera on wood by Hans Holbein the Younger in 1532. The painting is now located in Gemäldegalerie, Berlin. This portrait is one among a series of portraits of wealthy Hanseatic merchants made by Holbein in the 1530s. 

Another one of Holbein’s most impressive works of the time was executed for the statesman and author, Sir Thomas More and included a magnificent single portrait of the humanist (1527).


Portrait of Sir Thomas More, painted with oil on a panel by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1527. The painting is now located in The Frick Collection, New York City.



A copy of a mural by Holbein showing Henry VIII, his parents and his third wife Jane Seymour (1536–1537) The painting was destroyed in the Whitehall Palace fire in 1698.



Now this portrait of Anne of Cleves is an oil painting by Hans Holbein the Younger made in 1539. Now located in the Louvre Museum, Paris. (Fun fact: Holbein was told to be as accurate as possible when painting the portrait of Anne of Cleves so that Henry VIII could see what she looked like but of course, we all know how that ended.)