Hans Holbein reproductions are now very popular in the UK with many finding out about his career when discovering individual portraits of historical significance. That then may lead to people learning more about the rest of the artist's career which was considerable in size and certainly boasts interesting pieces far beyond just his portraits of King Henry VIII, for example.
Henry VIII would have made an exceptional subject for oil painting portraits thanks to his bold character and strong presence which any artist could use for inspiration with in their work. Holbein would have been chosen by the King for the work, rather than the other way around, but he would have relished the opportunity to cover such a powerful figure with in his work.
German art has long had a great influence upon the European arts scene and Holbein is just one example of that with the likes of Caspar David Friedrich and Albrecht Durer just two other examples of significant and innovative artists to have come from this particular country.
There are many Henry VIII painting portraits from Hans Holbein, with the artist finding success in becoming the King's preferred painter over several years which then enabled him to receive commissions very easily from others who wanted to have their name linked to the artist chosen by the King. The likes of Jane Seymour and Thomas More were also portrayed by this enthusiastic artist who tried to develop his onwards throughout his career and never settled on what he had already achieved with his work.
The great range of Henry VIII portraits from Holbein include traditional face shots as well as full length portraits that were chosen to give each painting a different feel and message, depending on what was required at the time. There are perhaps two or three best known portraits to check out and these can be seen from the resources linked to from this post.
