Holbein at the Tudor Court - by Kate Heard (Hardcover)

About the Book

From his arrival in England in search of work, Hans Holbein rose to royal favour, chosen to paint the portraits of Henry VIII, his family, and leading figures, among them Anne Boleyn and Sir Thomas More. His portraits inspired the next generation of artists in their depictions of Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. This exhibition includes drawings, paintings, miniatures, and book illustrations from the Royal Collection and explores the career of the artist and the lives of those who commissioned portraits from him, bringing us face-to-face with some of the most famous people of 16th-century England. --

Book Synopsis

A collection of portraits made during Hans Holbein's time as the leading artist at the court of Henry VIII.

Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543) first went to England in 1526, and by 1535 he was King's Painter to Henry VIII. Holbein at the Tudor Court focuses on the internationally significant collection of portraits by Holbein from that period that is part of the Royal Collection. Along with beautiful reproductions of Holbein's drawings, miniatures, and paintings, the book offers an introductory essay as the artist of the Tudor court in England, as well as a series of entries on individual works. It delivers insights about the portraits and their subjects, and it also brings in voices from the period, as found in letters, poems, administrative records, and diplomatic accounts, to bring the world of the sixteenth-century English court to life.

Review Quotes

"Fans of Hans Holbein will also be delighted with this book, as it showcases dozens of his works held by the Royal Collection Trust. The opening section also gives a good account of his life and how Holbein came to work in England. The book will also be of interest to those who study Tudor-era England more broadly."-- "Medievalists.net"

"Heard provides a thorough account of the eventful history of Holbein's portrait album. . . Heard acknowledges the inspiration provided by the touring exhibition Holbein and the Court of Henry VIII (1993) and the wisdom and guidance of its curator, the late Jane Roberts, Librarian and Curator of the Print Room at Windsor. The present work is a welcome successor to that project"-- "Journal of the History of Collections"

"Dr Kate Heard's catalogue is scholarly, accessible, and extremely well illustrated."-- "The Critic"

"Accompanying an exceptional exhibition of Hans Holbein the Younger's drawings at the Queen's Gallery in London, is a small catalogue written by the show's curator, Kate Heard. Holbein's paintings are delightful, but his preparatory drawings of the same sitters are genuinely moving, such is their realism and intimacy, transporting us back almost 500 years. There are profiles of the sitters--the Tudor period's movers and shakers--but where the catalogue is more interesting is in its details of Holbein's methods (embellishing certain cheekbones) or things you may have missed ('a touch of greenish watercolour in the eyes')."-- "The Art Newspaper, top art books of 2023"