Here we have the portrait of Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger (1536). We are all familiar with the portrait of Henry VIII, but there is an interesting story behind it. Read the page from the NPG to discover more.

National Portrait Gallery, London – Henry VIII

At these links, we can find a catalogue of portraits and paintings of the monarch that exist and comments on their worth.

Catalogue of portraits of Henry VIII

Wikipedia catalogue of Henry VIII images

 It is essential to differentiate a portrait that is BY an artist and a portrait that is AFTER an artist. What is the difference, in your opinion ? Look at this screenshot from the National Portrait Gallery website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the work we did on the biography of Henry VIII.

A brief biography of King Henry VIII GAPFILLER

You can read more about Holbein’s life and works HERE.

 

If we examine this colour image, which is a copy of the original, lost in a fire, we can first describe it and then deduce many things about Henry VIII. Remember, he was King of England and this portrait was to be one of the only images that would last of him. What did he want to portray through this authorized painting ?

 

 

Other examples of some authorized images for you to consider :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a collection of self-portaits for our lesson : Self-portraits collection