Hans Holbein the Younger

Timeline

1. c. 1497–1526Basel · SwitzerlandHolbein was born in Augsburg; his father, Hans Holbein the Elder, was a noted local painter. Around 1515 he moved with his brother to Basel, entering the book illustration and portrait trade. He met the humanist scholar Erasmus, drawing marginal illustrations for his manuscript of the Praise of Folly (1515), and later produced woodcuts for several works. He worked briefly in Lucerne in 1517, settled in Basel in 1519, building a reputation with portraits, religious subjects, and secular murals, and became a member of the Basel painters' guild in 1521.
2. 1526–1532London · EnglandIn 1526 he first arrived in England with a letter of introduction from Erasmus, entering Thomas More's circle and painting a group portrait of his family (only the sketch and copies survive). This English sojourn lasted two years (1526–1528), during which he befriended many English humanists. He returned to Basel in 1528, only to find that the Reformation's iconoclastic wave had drastically shrunk the market for religious commissions, so he set out again for London in 1532.
3. 1532–1543London · EnglandAfter arriving in England for the second time in 1532, Holbein initially served the circle of German Hanseatic merchants. Around 1536 he was formally appointed painter to Henry VIII. During the core period of 1531–1540 he painted numerous portraits of Tudor officials and nobles and was sent on missions to the continent to seek potential brides for Henry VIII, using portraits in place of courtship (including the 1539 portrait of Anne of Cleves). His sketch of Henry VIII and Henry VII (1537) established the iconic image of English royal portraiture. He died of plague in London in 1543.