Hans Holbein the Younger, Volume 2 (of 2)Chamberlain, Arthur B. (Arthur Bensley)
History
Hans Holbein the Younger, Volume 2 (of 2)
Chamberlain, Arthur B. (Arthur Bensley)
Holbein, Hans, 1497-1543 -- Criticism and interpretation; Painters -- Germany -- Biography
There is no evidence to show that Holbein painted either Katherine’s
daughter, Mary, or Anne’s daughter, Elizabeth, though here again
portraits of them exist which in less critical days were said to be by
him. The drawing in the Windsor Collection inscribed “The Lady Mary
after Queen,”[243] has no claim to represent Queen Mary, nor is there
any known portrait of her which bears any likeness to Holbein’s style of
painting. The Princess Elizabeth was ten years old at the time of the
painter’s death, whereas the youngest portrait of her extant is the very
interesting one at the age of about fifteen or sixteen in the Royal
Collection,[244] which was included in Charles I’s catalogue as “A
Whitehall piece of Holben,” and said to represent “Queen Elizabeth when
she was young, to the waist.” This is probably a work of Franco-Flemish
origin, and has nothing to do with Holbein, who, if he had painted her,
must have shown her as a little girl. Mr. Nichols, in his paper
mentioned above, states that “there can be little doubt that Holbein
drew the King’s natural son, Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond and
Suffolk, who lived until the 22nd July 1536,” but no such portrait or
drawing of him can be discovered. There is, however, among the Windsor
heads, a drawing of his wife, Mary,[245] daughter of Thomas, third Duke
of Norfolk, and sister of Henry, Earl of Surrey, both of whom sat to
Holbein. It is a fine drawing, but very badly rubbed. She is represented
full-face, with the eyes cast down, and wearing a close-fitting white
cap or hood, and a large flat black hat with a big ostrich feather. The
dress is powdered with the letter R, which in some cases seems to be
formed of pearls, while the letter M also occurs twice. This fashion of
wearing an initial letter, usually as a pendant ornament, was by no
means unusual at that period, and occurs in more than one of Holbein’s
portraits. The drawing of the Duchess is inscribed “The Lady of
Richmond.”
Footnote 243:
Woltmann, 331; Wornum, ii. 39; Holmes, ii. 15. Reproduced by Davies,
p. 216.
Footnote 244:
Reproduced by Cust, _Royal Collection of Paintings, Windsor Castle_,
Pl. 48.
Footnote 245:
Woltmann, 324; Wornum, ii. 17; Holmes, ii. 23.
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