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
Mr. Dickes, whose chief object is to prove, for the purposes of his
theory about the “Ambassadors,” that none of these Steelyard portraits
was painted in England, starts by misquoting the inscription on the
picture, which he gives as “Derichus si vocem addas de Born,” an
extraordinary mixing of the first and third lines. There is no “de Born”
in it, it is distinctly “Der. Born,” and though the young man depicted
may have been a member of Theodorichus de Born’s family, as he suggests,
he was certainly a member of the Steelyard, and known in London as
Derich Born. In the Calendars of Letters and Papers, under the heading
of “Ordnance,” a paper is printed which gives a list of “payments made
by Erasmus Kyrkenar, the King’s armourer, by his Majesty’s command, from
15th Sept, to 13th Oct. 28 Hen. VIII” (1536), for wages of armourers,
and the providing of armour, harness, &c., in connection with the
Rebellion in the North. Among the items included in his account is the
following:
“For various bundles of harness bought of Mr. Locke, merchant of London,
and of _Dyrycke Borne, merchant of the Steelyard_,” &c.[42] This, though
it does not actually prove him to have been in London in 1533, shows
that he was most certainly here three years later as a member of the
Steelyard. Evidence of his presence in London in the years 1542-49 is to
be found in the _Inventare hansischer Archive des 16. Jahrhunderts, I_,
quoted by Dr. Ganz,[43] who states that he was a merchant of Cologne.
Footnote 42:
_C.L.P._, vol. xi. 686.
Footnote 43:
_Holbein_, p. 240.
The picture is on oak, 1 ft. 11½ in. high by 1 ft. 7¼ in. wide. It was
at one time in the Arundel collection, and is entered in the 1655
inventory as “Derichius a Born.” It is possible that the earl owned more
than one of the Steelyard portraits, for there are two entries of
portraits of men with black birettas. On the back is the brand of
Charles I, “C.R.” crowned, though it is not described in his catalogue.
There is a second portrait of Derich Born by Holbein, a small oval of
about 3 in. high (9 × 8 mm.), on paper, in the Alte Pinakothek at
Munich, giving the head and shoulders only.[44] It is painted in oil on
paper, and has suffered somewhat from retouching, but is still an
excellent example of the small portraits in oil on wood or paper,
usually enclosed in a case of wood or ivory, which Holbein was fond of
painting at this period, closely akin to his true miniatures of a rather
later date. In the Munich version the position is reversed, the sitter
being turned to the right, and the face not quite so fully to the front.
The workmanship, more particularly of the collar, is as fine as in the
larger Windsor portrait. His name and age and the date are given, but
the last figures and letters have been cut away, probably when fitting
it into the frame, so that all that is left of the inscription on the
background, on either side of the head, now reads:
Footnote 44:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account