Episode 123: Hans Holbein

LINKS

Previous Renaissance English History Podcast episodes on art:
Tudor Portraits and Propaganda, December 2015
Episode 079: An Interview with Roland Hui

Amazon Prime video about Hans Holbein

Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
https://www.rct.uk/collection/912188/solomon-and-the-queen-of-sheba

Portrait of Erasmus
https://thehistoryjar.com/2015/12/07/erasmus-and-holbein/

The Coverdale Bible
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myles_Coverdale

[advertisement insert here: if you like this show, and you want to support me and my work, the best thing you can do (and it’s free!) is to leave us a rating on iTunes. It really helps others discover the podcast. Second best is to buy Tudor-themed gifts for all your loved ones at my shop, at TudorFair.com, like leggings with the Anne Boleyn portrait pattern on them, or boots with Elizabeth I portraits. Finally, you can also become a patron of this show for as little as $1/episode at Patreon.com/englandcast … And thank you!]

Episode transcript: 

Hello and welcome to the Renaissance English History Podcast, a part of the Agora Podcast Network. I’m your host, Heather Teysko, and I’m a storyteller who makes history accessible because I believe it’s a pathway to understanding who we are, our place in the universe, and being more deeply in touch with our own humanity. This is Episode 123, on Hans Holbein.

But, I have a very important announcement about … Tudorcon. Yes, you heard that right. I am organizing and hosting the world’s first ever Tudorcon. In October 2019 we will gather at a newly restored winery adjacent to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire in Manheim PA (which is, incidentally, where I’m from originally) and have three days of merriment, learning, feasting, and entertainment. The weekend will kick off on Friday October 18 with a welcoming party with refreshments, and period entertainment and games. Costumes are definitely encouraged for this part! On Saturday we will have a full day of learning from speakers – I’m still lining up the speakers, with three confirmed so far, and more being considered. On Sunday morning we reconvene for a morning of talks, followed by a medieval feast in the feasting grounds of the Renaissance Faire, with private entertainment, and then time to spend at the faire, before calling it a weekend.

The goals of the event are first and foremost, to bring together this amazing community from around the country, and the world, even, and have a weekend of social learning, new friendships, and bonding over our shared love of Tudor history. And second, to meet some of our favorite bloggers, authors, and podcasters.

Tickets for Tudorcon will be at an early bird price for the remainder of the year. They are available to buy at my shop website – TudorFair.com – the link is right there in the top left. We only have 120 seats available because of the size of the space, and they will likely sell out – I already sold nearly 20% of the available tickets in the first six days after announcing it on Facebook. So if you think you’d like to come, you should get your tickets early so you reserve your spot.  Again, TudorFair.com to get those highly sought-after tickets – if you’re on your phone right now, you can check it out while you’re listening – Come spend a weekend in October next year with me, and 119 of your new best friends, and we’ll talk Tudor all weekend long!

So now, to art. In this episode I want to look at Hans Holbein. I’ve done several shows on Tudor art, including one on portraits and propaganda which remains one of the most popular shows I have – I’ll link to them all in the show notes for this episode at Englandcast.com/holbein. Also, you’ll want to check out the show notes for this episode since I’ve got a lot of paintings I talk about, and you’ll want to check them out. So go to Englandcast.com/holbein for the show notes.

But I would be remiss in not doing a show devoted entirely to Holbein, given the fact that many historians and art historians believe that the Tudor period is the bright famous light that it is, largely because of Holbein. In other words, Holbein made the Tudor court. He didn’t just document it, but actually made it.

Who was Hans Holbein? Well, first of all he was Hans Holbein the Younger, which meant there was a Senior. And that would be his father. Hans Holbein the Younger was born in Augsburg, in 1497. He had a brother Ambrosius, and together the two boys learned the craft and artistry from their father. Augsburg was part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time, which meant that it was a wealthy town, and there was plenty of work for a good artist. Especially a good artist who also had other skills – Hans Holbein Senior was also a goldsmith, goldsmith designer, and designed stained glass. Hans Junior and his brother also learned how to do illustrations for printed books during this period, which goes to show how important this medium was going to become, and that the Holbein family recognized it as a source of income.

From here on out I’ll just call him Hans Holbein because he leaves his father, and moves to Basel with his brother. Basel was a hub of the printing world at this time, which shows that the brothers Holbein may have wanted to pursue a career in illustrating books. Here they designed prints and painted outdoor murals, and also designed stained glass. One of his most famous pieces from this period was a series of woodcut prints called the Dance of Death where Death escorts people from the state of the living to the next part. There are some cheeky references here, for example when Death leads a rich merchant off, he actually takes the man’s money first, and then the man.  

Holbein also painted religious icons while in Basel. And it was in Basel where Hans Holbein was introduced to Erasmus, and it was Erasmus who paved the way for him to come to England. Sometime around 1519 his brother Ambrosius died, and Hans Holbein was on his own. He was introduced to Erasmus, who became a supporter of his work, commissioning him to paint several portraits of him. One of these portraits, from 1523, was especially impressive, and showed Holbein’s ability not just in making his subjects seem so lifelike, but also in showing the way he could paint objects and details in the background. A copy of the Erasmus portrait is in the National Portrait Gallery in London, and it shows just how skilled Holbein was with painting Roman columns and stone decorations, as well as other objects in the background.

The reason why it’s a copy in the National Portrait Gallery is because Holbein made several copies of the work which he sent to England ahead of him, with a letter of introduction that Erasmus wrote to both his good friend Thomas More, and Archbishop Warham.

So Holbein shows up in England in the fall of 1526, and stays with Thomas More, who becomes one of his biggest supporters. Of course, Holbein wasn’t to know this, but he was walking into a world of drama, as this was right at the period when Henry was falling in love with Anne Boleyn. He was also shifting his alliances from supporting the Holy Roman Empire to becoming more friendly with France.

Henry’s friendship with France is important in the life of Holbein because it gave him his first job in England. Henry and Francis were going to sign a treaty commemorating their alliance, and to celebrate they had a joust and pageants. This was along the lines of the Field of Cloth of Gold summit that had been held in 1520. There was a newly built banqueting house at Greenwich, and jousts and pageants. Princess Mary was summoned to court in the spring of 1527 to be inspected by the French ambassadors with the eye on arranging a marriage for her. And in that new banqueting house Henry entertained his French counterparts. The walls were covered with scenes depicting Henry’s military prowess, and other scenery designed to impress the French. And who painted that scenery? Hans Holbein, among other court artists.

Sadly, that scenery was temporary, and was torn down after the event, so we have nothing left of Holbein’s first English work. But the person who was the master of revels of the pageants and jousts was Henry Guildford, who noticed Holbein, and commissioned a portrait from him. This was followed by commissions from More, both for a portrait of More on his own, and a life size portrait of his entire family at home in Chelsea. Holbein also painted Archbishop Warham during this time.

But Holbein really wanted to be a court painter. More was worried that there might not be enough work for Holbein in England, and wrote a letter back to Erasmus saying that Holbein was a wonderful painter, but he was afraid Holbein wouldn’t much like England given that there really wasn’t much portraiture being done there at the time. Art in England during this period centered around tapestries and other decorative arts, but not so much portraiture. Though some art historians speculate that this is simply down to the fact that England didn’t have a good portraitist at this period.

Either way, Holbein went back to Basel to handle some citizenship forms, which he had to do every two years, and it was during this time when he began to see the effects of the Reformation more directly, and likely learned that he had to become adaptable if he wanted to be a successful artist. The religious images that he had painted a decade before were being torn down and destroyed by the Lutherans. When Holbein returned to England in 1532, it was with the aim of being Henry’s personal painter.

His patron, Thomas More, was struggling with Henry’s impending divorce and decree that he was the Head of the Church in England. So Holbein began to cultivate a relationship with Thomas Cromwell, and the Boleyn family. We have the very famous portrait he painted of Cromwell to show us how that relationship went, and we also have one of the most controversial drawings of Anne Boleyn.

It’s a hand sketched drawing of Anne in a nightgown, and it’s not at all flattering – in fact, it shows her double chin, and her nose is quite crooked. Some people say that there is no way that this could be Anne, while most art historians agree that it is, and it demonstrates just how close Holbein was with the Boleyn family, that he would be allowed to make such a drawing, which was likely for Henry’s eyes alone.

Holbein also did design work for Anne including tableware, and designs for pageants for her coronation.

But it’s his portraits of Henry during the mid 1530’s that really made his name, and are the lens through which we view Tudor history today. Henry used his portraits to send abroad to diplomats, as gifts to other monarchs, and as a statement about his power back home. Having someone who could paint those portraits in a really compelling way was extremely attractive to him.

The most famous of these would be the Whitehall Palace Mural. It doesn’t exist any longer – it was destroyed in a fire – but there are smaller copies of it. It was four life sized figures, hanging in the privy chamber, including a life sized Henry VIII facing fully front. In the episode I did a few years ago on portraits and propaganda I talked a lot about this portrait, and the statement Henry was making by looking straight at the viewer – this just wasn’t done at that time – portraits were done from the side. Ambassadors commented on how unseemly it was, and normal people trembled when they saw it, it was so lifelike. Completing the painting were Henry’s parents Henry VII and Elizabeth of  York, and Henry’s third wife Jane, whose role when this painting was made in 1537 was especially important given that she would give birth to the future heir.

They are all standing around a stone column that bears an inscription that reflects Henry’s new view of himself as a sovereign ruler, and his role as the head of the church in England. The inscription talked about how Henry’s father had established the dynasty through his victory in the Wars of the Roses, how Henry himself then got rid of his evil counsellors and sent the Pope packing, bringing the true religion to England. It was this idea that Henry was bringing the true religion to England that he wanted to really play up, and we see it as well in the front title page of the Coverdale Bible.

In this Bible, published in 1535 and the first known English Bible to be brought to England with the King’s approval, we see a cover image by Holbein. There are about 80 copies of the Coverdale Bible left, so we have a good sense of this image, and what Henry was trying to say. Which was that he was the Supreme Head of the Church, given that right by God himself, and that he was the one who could bestow the Word of God on his country.

So the image shows Henry sitting directly under God himself. Thomas Cromwell is standing behind the bishops, the next level down, who are moving forward to receive the Word of God directly from Henry. Then they pass it down to the regular people on the street, who are all thrilled and grateful.

But of course it is is portraits of other individuals that made Holbein so famous. Henry VIII also had another painter, Lucas Horenbout, who specialized in miniatures. Holbein did also paint miniatures. One of Anne of Cleves was designed for Henry to carry around as he awaited the arrival of his new bride. And another of Solomon and Sheba shows Henry VIII as Solomon receiving the homage of the Queen of Sheba. Holbein painted commercially, doing miniatures of people outside the court including merchants and others who were just visiting London or the court on business.

He traveled widely for Henry, especially when Henry was searching for his fourth wife. It is his painting of Christina of Denmark, the sixteen year old widowed Duchess of Milan, that captivated Henry so much so that even after she rejected him – saying that if she had two heads she’d be happy to give one to Henry – he still kept the portrait.

But the painting that caused the most drama was, of course, Anne of Cleves. No one at the time thought that Holbein had misrepresented Anne, and it’s important that even Henry didn’t punish Holbein, which one might assume that he would have if the painting really would have been really off, the same way Cromwell was punished. But other portraits of Anne done from the side show a crooked nose, and features that you just don’t see when you look at her from the front, the way Holbein painted her in both the main portrait, and the miniature.

Another very famous work of Holbein’s is The Ambassadors which is perhaps most famous because of the strange skull that Holbein painted in the bottom. It looks just like a streak of white paint when you look at it from the front, but when you go around to the side, and look from the corner up, it is clearly a skull. Portraits at this time tended to have objects in that showed the mortality of the person sitting there – a reminder that the painting might last for a long time, but the flesh itself would decay. The Ambassadors, which is of the French Ambassador and an unconsecrated French Bishop is filled with symbolism including showing the bishop next to a Lutheran hymn book, and globes highlighting the French possessions. More than any other portraitist, Holbein wanted to give some background information and context on the people he painted.

So, how was Holbein remembered even after he died in 1543 in a Plague epidemic? His paintings continued to be popular, but interestingly it wasn’t always clear that people understood the importance of the person who painted them. Portraitists who followed Holbein didn’t immediately adopt his style as the lifelessness of many of the Elizabethan portraits will attest. When Archbishop Matthew Parker had a painting of Archbishop Warham, he said that he really loved the painting, and it was done by an unknown painter in the Netherlands. So less than 50 years after the painting had been done, the artist had largely been forgotten.

Still, today is is recognized as the leading portraitist of his time, someone who raised the art at the English court up, and even created what we know of the Tudor court.

If you want to dig deeper into the life of Hans Holbein, there’s a video on Amazon Prime called Holbein, Eyes of the Tudor Court, as well as some good books that look at his life, and his masterpieces. I’ve got links to that, as well all the sources and articles I used  on the website at Englandcast.com/holbein.

. And you can get in touch with me through the listener support line at 801 6TEYSKO or through twitter @teysko or facebook.com/englandcast. And remember to get your Tudorcon tickets at Englandcast.com/tudorcon2019.

[advertisement insert here: if you like this show, and you want to support me and my work, the best thing you can do (and it’s free!) is to leave a rating or review on iTunes. It really helps others discover the podcast. Second best is to buy Tudor-themed gifts for all your loved ones at my shop, at TudorFair.com, like leggings with the Anne Boleyn portrait pattern on them, or boots with Elizabeth I portraits. Finally, you can also become a patron of this show for as little as $1/episode at Patreon.com/englandcast … And thank you!]