Hans Holbein the Younger

Born around 1497 in Augsburg, Germany, as the son of the painter Hans Holbein the Elder. He trained in his father's workshop and began his career alongside his brother Ambrosius.¹

In 1517, a record shows he was fined for a street fight with a goldsmith in Lucerne. In his youth, he possessed a fiery temperament alongside his passion for art.¹

Influenced by masters like Mantegna during a trip to Northern Italy around 1517, he fused Northern realism with Italian Renaissance spatial composition and elegance to establish his own refined style.¹

He gained international fame by painting portraits of the humanist Erasmus in 1523. Erasmus highly valued his talent and later helped him move to England by writing a recommendation to Thomas More.¹

In 1526, as work in Basel declined due to the Reformation, he moved to England seeking new opportunities. Joining Thomas More's circle became a major turning point in his career.¹

By 1535, he was appointed King's Painter to Henry VIII. He painted numerous portraits of the King, his family, and nobles, recording the turbulent court during the establishment of the Church of England.¹