Holbein

What comes into your mind when you think of Henry VIII? (After the connubial beheadings, of course.) Probably, it’s the iconic image of that broad-chested, spraddle-legged king, arms akimbo, dripping in furs, velvets, gold braid and chains, and jewels, piggy eyes and fleshy face beneath a spangled cap. A swaggering monarch with pretensions of grace and regality, and a predilection for raw power and personal convenience. And we know much of this from a glance, thanks to one of the great painters of the Renaissance, Hans Holbein the Younger.
And thanks to the J. Paul Getty Museum and New York’s Morgan Library, we have been blessed with the first major exhibition of Holbein’s work in the U.S., and this beautiful, erudite catalog. Six intelligent essays address Holbein’s “pictorial eloquence”; his formative relationship with the Dutch humanist Erasmus (and his English friend Sir Thomas More); his meticulous and breathtaking draftsmanship; his additional expertise in book design and calligraphy; and a fascinating look at how technical analysis (including dendrochronology!) helped the Getty attribute a strange little painting of a sharp-eyed man on a galloping horse to the master.
Though the electronic review copy examined here limited the ability to assess the quality of the plates in the hardcover volume, the color illustrations are plentiful, rich, and gorgeous.
Holbein was German by birth, son to the successful painter of religious works Hans Holbein the Elder. By age seventeen, he and his older brother were providing illustrations for a scholar’s copy of Dutch humanist Erasmus’s best-seller Praise of Folly. Erasmus, who knew a thing or two about self-promotion, permitted only the very best northern European artists to paint his portrait: Quentin Matsys, Lucas Cranach, Albrecht Durer… and Holbein, who at 26 painted what is still the most famous image of the old Dutchman. Erasmus had a lot of friends, and one of them was Sir Thomas More. After a few years of meandering, Holbein headed for England (where high-end portrait painters were few), and was welcomed into More’s household. The doors were then easily opened into the royal establishment, and Holbein quickly became the portraitist of choice for lords and ladies, merchants and courtiers, dukes and bishops, and – of course – the king himself and his wives, potential and actual.
There are no surviving documents from Holbein himself, so we know virtually nothing about his views, personality, or opinions. But, oh, the pictures! Sitters young and old, coy and solemn, bold and distant… not only did he render their physical appearance, but layered the chosen settings with objects, mottoes, and captions that illuminated the person’s thoughts, interests, and philosophies. Even Erasmus, a defender of the superiority of the written word over pictorial representation, came to admit that Holbein’s pictures allowed him to “see” his friends in ways words never could. As editor Woollett explains, he achieved this by “judicious idealization of physical traits, combined with a sense of spectacle and confident manipulation of space.” Case in point: the sheer magnificence of the portrait of the French ambassador Charles de Solier: he faces us down with burning eyes and patriarchal beard starting out from a background of a gleaming deep green velvet curtain, his imposing bulk in fur and slashed sleeves, one powerful veined and sinewy hand bare… is he reaching for the hilt of his dagger? This is a man to be reckoned with. Or the dandyish Simon George of Cornwall, slender, in profile like a delicate miniature or medallion, mincingly holding a pink flower to his silky beard, his hat bedizened with flowers and feathers and a badge depicting Leda and the Swan. Artsy, a bit fey, elegant, flirtatious perhaps?
Austéja Mackelaité’s chapter on Holbein’s drawings is outstanding – a close appreciation of the miracle of his work in chalk, ink, and watercolor. These are not dashed-off sketches – though even one that might be, a study for the Erasmus portrait, includes a scribbled hand that seems to write as we watch. Holbein often used a pinkish-toned paper to underlie the sitter’s complexion, then detail it with chalks and inks. But compare the drawing of William Warham, with a ruinous face and solemn hooded eyes, with the more stolid archbishop in the painting – portrayed without his mitre and crozier, just the man himself. Compare the sly, sidelong glance of Mary, Lady Guildford’s chalk persona, with what might be a smile curling at the corner of her mouth, with the knitted brow and pursed mouth that looks about to scold from the painting. Look at a slender line of white that makes a young man’s eyes shine, the watercolor gloss on a fall of hair, and a young woman’s cheek blushes with a dusting of red chalk. And then see how Holbein adjusts an angle of gaze, or tilts a brow, to change the expression in the finished painting. He knew, every minute, exactly what he was doing.
And so I wondered sometimes about some other contrasts: look at the fierce power and life force in Charles de Solier, on the page opposite a bust-length painting of Henry VIII, compared to that flatly stylized, almost mask-like monarchical head. Or – the most famous pairing, perhaps – the breathing, thinking countenance of Thomas More before a silk drapery, with his tired, creased eyes and stubbled face and gorgeous red velvet sleeves, facing a flatly painted, almost cartoonishly brutish Cromwell looking resentful in a sparse paneled room. Painting the king came with its own conventions and requirements – the court’s denizens were often portrayed with plain blue backgrounds in order to highlight the noble physiognomies and rich apparel. But is there a possibility that Holbein lavished more care and regard on his friend More and not so much on More’s rival and opponent Cromwell? Did Holbein like and admire de Solier and was just being careful not to offend his temperamental king, and stick to the old rules of royal imagery?
With an astute text written to benefit scholars and academics, this book belongs in any library with a focus on art and art history. But it is also a lovely and absorbing piece of work for anyone to leaf through, study, and admire the truly marvelous work of this not-so-famous-but-should-be portraitist, designer, calligrapher, and draftsman par excellence.

I really enjoyed reading and looking at this book. The book was published to accompany an exhibition at the Getty and Morgan Library. The text was easy to read and informative. My favorite essays were Humanism and the Book and the Calligrapher. The illustrations that accompany the text are wonderful. Enjoy

This was a beautiful book. Paintings and drawings by Holbein the elder and younger take you back in time at the life of his patrons. The author describes how much feeling and emotion was put into each painting and that the Holbein's, especially the younger, placed an emphasize on conveying his subjects emotions through different mediums.
This ARC was provided free by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really interesting exhibition catalog, serving more like an academic introduction to the painter. In addition to a full section of all of the paintings, sketches, etchings, and other objects in the exhibition, there were a number of different academic essays examining Holbein, his influences, his context, and his legacy from many different angles. All a really interesting introduction to this painter. And all of that is leaving aside the portraits which are STUNNING. They look incredibly modern and do a great job capturing the quirks and personalities of the subjects. Really a great read.

Thank you Netgalley and Getty Publications for access to this arc.

I find it almost impossible to imagine the court and times of Henry VIII without “seeing” them in terms of Holbein’s art. He painted so many of the portraits used as images of the age. It was his painting of Anne of Cleves that resulted in Henry’s fourth marriage, his painting of young Edward VII that makes me want to rip that hat off the baby’s head so he can play, his portrait of Henry VIII that shows us how the once handsome monarch had aged into the overbearing tyrant who could have two wives executed.

When I saw this publication which showcases the current exhibit of Holbein’s work, I quickly asked to review it. Yes, the wonderful photographs of the paintings have my fingers itching to reach out and stroke the lush fur trimmings, the sleek silk and satin, the rich velvet. But I learned a great deal about the little touches that Holbein used to show us who these sitters really were. Holbein was an accomplished painter who relied on his chalk sketches – often accompanied by little notes on colors to use. On many of the clothes worn by his sitters, we see what were briefly the status symbols of the age – hat badges for men and dress equivalents for women – which showed family crests. A noted calligrapher and draftsman, Holbein also added subtle descriptors to the paintings which then would have told viewers who and what these people were and did and now serve sometimes as clues that have allowed identification of some of the (once) unknown sitters. And yay thumbnail biographies of important people as well as a chronology of Holbein’s life are included. Getty Publications are always a treat for the eye and informative for the brain. B

The Getty’s catalogue for its Hans Holbein exhibition upholds the usual excellent standard of quality and visual richness of Getty catalogues in general--replete with full-color illustrations, this makes an excellent addition to the bookshelf or coffee table of an art lover, Tudor history buff, or Erasmus fan.

The essays within are, by and large, also excellent, with a heavy focus on the materiality and process behind Holbein’s works. The contributors elaborate upon Holbein’s relationship with his patrons, in particular Desiderius Erasmus and the constellation of humanists who followed him. General readers might be more familiar with Holbein’s work as a portraitist to the Tudor court, which the essays discuss less extensively, and as such might be disappointed by the focus on lower gentry, merchants, and intellectuals. I was personally pleasantly surprised by the focus on humanism and the world beyond the Tudor court, as well as the positioning of Holbein within the word-versus-image debate of the period. If one reads the essays in the order they appear, however, they might have difficulty getting past the first essay in order to explore these larger questions--while packed full of detail, citations, and dates, it is also quite dry and difficult to penetrate, and it may put off someone from reading the rest of the catalogue, depending on how they choose to read. The essays finish strong, however, with a clearly written and accessible overview of the technical analysis of Holbein’s Allegory of Passion that would be a great entry point for someone trying to better understand conservation and attribution methods.

Overall, this is a lovely volume with a great deal of interesting material, but, as is the case with many exhibition catalogues, its cohesion and overall argument may be less useful to readers than the quality of its reproductions and the information and observations of its individual essays. For catalogue collectors, Holbein aficionados, and others like them, this is certainly a must-get. General readers will definitely enjoy the images and hopefully glean fascinating information from the essays. However, not being a Holbein expert, I can’t comment on whether it is a substantive addition to the scholarly conversation on the artist.

Holbein by Anne T. Woollett, et al is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in early November.

Six critical and biographical essays among extremely lifelike and detailed portraiture by Hans Holbein the Younger, a greater scholar who's similarly accomplished in calligraphy, book/blockcutting illustration, and metalwork.

This is simply a gorgeous book! It can be enjoyed by both art history scholars and those who enjoy looking at art. Many may know Holbein for his portraits of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, among others. There is so much more to discover in these pages, however. The beautifully reproduced paintings that are included in this volume demonstrate Holbein’s gift for capturing his subjects. They feel very real and human. The volume also has art by Erasmus. There are, in addition, a number of well-written essays.

Highly recommended! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

This was such a wonderful, beautiful read. These portraits! The man was an absolute genius with light, colours and expressions. I absolutely adores reading the backsides and viewing the paintings. I plan on purchasing this as a table top book. Stunning!!

Never less than 5 stars for the publications of the Getty Museum. With the usual highest standards this volume presents many works of the great master, some of them I see for the first time. Beautiful images accompanied by texts written by experts reveal so much information about not only Holbein painter but also his calligraphy , ornamental works and more.. Also, I have seen many times the Thomas More portrait in images (I also painted a copy of it as a part of study), but it is the first time I noticed the extraordinary quality of the velvet sleeve, thanks to the good quality reproduction. Interesting to see also how Holbein and other painters (Quentin Metsys, Jan Goessart etc. ) painted similar subjects, or see the same subject drawn and painted by the great German master. Extra: biography of some of the painted subjects and chronology.
I think Holbein himself would be very satisfied with this wonderful volume.

Stunning! This is an excellent companion to its exhibit, as well as a great standalone collection of Holbein's works and exploration of his career, process, influences, and the world in which he lived. This would make both a wonderful remembrance of seeing the exhibit, or a nice temporary substitute until we're all able to travel freely again.

The art was beautifully rendered--clear, vibrant, and nearly bursting off the page. I also really appreciated the extra information included. The chronology and biographies of the various portrait subjects were a fascinating addition to the insight about Holbein himself.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Gorgeous and lavish exhibition catalog from a Getty Museum project I wish I could see in person--exploring the ways in which Holbein's personal relationships (as manifested in lively and very human correspondence and visits) with his patrons and sitters appear in the finished products. This is a window into the lives of key Reformation thinkers and the intellectual and familial circles around Cromwell, More, Erasmus and the court of Henry VIII. It is fascinating to see how preliminary sketches evolve with Holbein's familiarity with the sitter, and offer warts and all portraiture.