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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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The birth of Christ
mk252 oak plank oil painting 74.9 x 60.3 centimeters in 1527
Painting ID:: 57081
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The_birth_of_Christ
mk252 oak plank oil painting 74.9 x 60.3 centimeters in 1527
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Childhood portrait of Edward V
mk252 oak oil painting 57 x 44 cm
Painting ID:: 57082
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Childhood_portrait_of_Edward_V
mk252 oak oil painting 57 x 44 cm
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Queen s portrait of Farmer Zhansai
mk252 oil painting oak 65.4 x 40.7 cm
Painting ID:: 57083
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Queen_s_portrait_of_Farmer_Zhansai
mk252 oil painting oak 65.4 x 40.7 cm
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Henry VIII portrait
mk252 oak panel painting 28 x 20 cm
Painting ID:: 57085
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Henry_VIII_portrait
mk252 oak panel painting 28 x 20 cm
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Rotterdam's Erasmus and the Renaissance portrait Bizhu
mk252 Oil painting of wood 73.6 x 51.4 cm in 1523
Painting ID:: 57086
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Rotterdam's_Erasmus_and_the_Renaissance_portrait_Bizhu
mk252 Oil painting of wood 73.6 x 51.4 cm in 1523
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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
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
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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Wholesale China Oil Painting Wholesale Oil Painting China Xiamen Portrait Reproduction on canvas Chinese Oil Painting Wholesale
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