King Henry VIII

King Henry VIII

after Hans Holbein the Younger
oil on copper, (circa 1536)
11 in. x 7 7/8 in. (279 mm x 200 mm)
Purchased, 1863
Primary Collection
NPG 157

Sitter

King Henry VIII (1491-1547), Reigned 1509-47. Sitter associated with 89 portraits.

Artist

Hans Holbein the Younger (1497 or 8-1543). Artist associated with 251 portraits, Sitter associated with 12 portraits.

This Portrait

This portrait shows Henry VIII in his mid forties when he had already begun the process of dismantling monasteries and religious houses and had executed his second wife Anne Boleyn and the Bishop John Fisher. The portrait derives from a type establish by Hans Holbein the Younger, held in the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid. However this version painted on copper by a later artist may date from the late-sixteenth or early -seventeenth century.

Linked Publications

Clare Gittings, The National Portrait Gallery Book of Elizabeth I, 2006, p. 1
Parris, Matthew, Heroes and Villains: Scarfe at the National Portrait Gallery, 2003 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 30 September 2003 - 4 April 2004), p. 83
Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 296
Strong, Roy, Tudor and Jacobean Portraits, 1969, p. 153

Subjects & Themes

Hats and head-attire
Jewellery