Produced by Delphine Lettau, Janine Lettau, Paul Dring, Clive Pickton, Joseph E. Loewenstein M.D. and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net Illustration: _Hans Holbein the Younger_ _Coloured Chalks. Basel Museum_ LITTLE BOOKS ON ART GENERAL EDITOR: CYRIL DAVENPORT HOLBEIN BY BEATRICE FORTESCUE WITH FORTY-SIX ILLUSTRATIONS METHUEN & CO. 36 ESSEX STREET W.C. LONDON _First published in 1904_ CONTENTS CHAPTER I HOLBEIN'S PERIOD, PARENTAGE, AND EARLY WORK Historical epoch and antecedents--Special conditions and character of early Christian art--Ideals and influence of the monk--Holbein's relation to mediaeval schools--His father, uncle, and Augsburg home--Probable dates for his birth and his father's death--Troubles and dispersion of the Augsburg household--From Augsburg to Basel--His brother Ambrose--Erasmus and the _Praise of Folly_; some erroneous impressions of both--Erasmus and Holbein no Protestants at heart--Holbein and the Bible--Illustrated Vernacular Bibles in circulation before Luther and Holbein were born--Holbein's earliest Basel oil-paintings--Direct and indirect education--Historical, geographical, and scientific revolutions of his day--Beginning of his connection with the Burgomaster of Basel--Jacob Meyer zum Hasen--Holbein's woodcuts--His studies from nature--Sudden visit to Lucerne--Italian influence on his art--Work for the Burgomaster of Lucerne 1 CHAPTER II HOLBEIN BASILIENSIS (1519-1526) _Holbein Basiliensis_--Enters the Painters' Guild--Bonifacius Amerbach and his portrait--The Last Supper and its Judas--The so-called "Fountain of Life" at Lisbon--Genius for design and symbolism in architecture--Versatility, humour, fighting scenes--Holbein becomes a citizen and marries--Basel in 1519--Froben's circle--Tremendous events and issues of the time--Holbein's religious works--The Nativity and Adoration at Freiburg--Hans Oberriedt--The Basel Passion in eight panels--Passion Drawings--Christ in the tomb--Christ and Mary Magdalen at the door of the sepulchre--Rathaus wall-paintings--Birth of Holbein's eldest child--The Solothurn Madonna: its discovery and rescue--Holbein's wife and her portraits--Suggested solutions of some biographical enigmas--Title pages--Portraits of Erasmus--Journey to France, probably to Lyons and Avignon--Publishers and pictures of the so-called "Dance of Death"--Dorothea Offenburg as Venus and Lais Corinthiaca--Triumph of the Protestant party--Holbein decides to leave Basel for a time--The Meyer-Madonna of Darmstadt and Dresden, and its portraits 45 CHAPTER III CHANCES AND CHANGES (1526-1530)