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Hans Holbein
German
1497-1543
Hans Holbein Galleries
Holbein always made highly detailed pencil drawings of his portrait subjects, often supplemented with ink and colored chalk. The drawings emphasize facial detail and usually did not include the hands; clothing was only indicated schematically. The outlines of these drawings were then transferred onto the support for the final painting using tiny holes in the paper through which powdered charcoal was transmitted; in later years Holbein used a kind of carbon paper. The final paintings thus had the same scale as the original drawings. Although the drawings were made as studies for paintings, they stand on their own as independent, finely wrought works of art. How many portraits have been lost can be seen from Holbein's book (nearly all pages in the Royal Collection) containing preparatory drawings for portraits - of eighty-five drawings, only a handful have surviving Holbein paintings, though often copies have survived.
David Hockney has speculated in the Hockney-Falco thesis that Holbein used a concave mirror to project an image of the subject onto the drawing surface. The image was then traced. However this thesis has not met with general acceptance from art historians.
A subtle ability to render character may be noted in Holbein's work, as can be seen in his portraits of Thomas Cromwell, Desiderius Erasmus, and Henry VIII. The end results are convincing as definitive images of the subjects' appearance and personality.
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Sir Thomas Wyatt
mk160
diplomat
Painting ID:: 41421
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Sir_Thomas_Wyatt
mk160
diplomat
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The Virgin and the Nino
mk166
1499
I Wave on wood National Museum Germanico Nuremberg
Painting ID:: 41974
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The_Virgin_and_the_Nino
mk166
1499
I Wave on wood National Museum Germanico Nuremberg
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The Younger
mk216
Sir Henry Guildford Holbein was the supreme portrait painted of the northen Renaissance
Painting ID:: 50903
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The_Younger
mk216
Sir Henry Guildford Holbein was the supreme portrait painted of the northen Renaissance
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Edward VI as a child
mk234
probably
about 1538
57x44cm
Painting ID:: 53763
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Edward_VI_as_a_child
mk234
probably
about 1538
57x44cm
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Sir Brian Tuk
mk234
about 1527
49x39cm
Painting ID:: 53764
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Sir_Brian_Tuk
mk234
about 1527
49x39cm
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Hans_Holbein
German
1497-1543
Hans Holbein Galleries
Holbein always made highly detailed pencil drawings of his portrait subjects, often supplemented with ink and colored chalk. The drawings emphasize facial detail and usually did not include the hands; clothing was only indicated schematically. The outlines of these drawings were then transferred onto the support for the final painting using tiny holes in the paper through which powdered charcoal was transmitted; in later years Holbein used a kind of carbon paper. The final paintings thus had the same scale as the original drawings. Although the drawings were made as studies for paintings, they stand on their own as independent, finely wrought works of art. How many portraits have been lost can be seen from Holbein's book (nearly all pages in the Royal Collection) containing preparatory drawings for portraits - of eighty-five drawings, only a handful have surviving Holbein paintings, though often copies have survived.
David Hockney has speculated in the Hockney-Falco thesis that Holbein used a concave mirror to project an image of the subject onto the drawing surface. The image was then traced. However this thesis has not met with general acceptance from art historians.
A subtle ability to render character may be noted in Holbein's work, as can be seen in his portraits of Thomas Cromwell, Desiderius Erasmus, and Henry VIII. The end results are convincing as definitive images of the subjects' appearance and personality.
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ARTWORKS INDEX
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ARTISTS INDEX A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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