Facts about Hans Holbein

Born in Germany at the end of the 15th century, Hans Holbein witnessed the legacy of earlier Northern European artists such Jan van Eyck get developed by his contemporaries, including Hieronymus Bosch, Albrecht Durer and even his own father. Holbein would contribute greatly to the Northern Renaissance, establishing himself as the most significant painters of the age. Read on to find out exactly how he achieved such a reputation. 

Hans Holbein is commonly known as ‘The Younger’ to differentiate him from his father. They shared both their name and pursuit. The elder Holbein was a painter who ran a large workshop in the city of Augsburg with the help of his brother Sigmund. It was under the tutelage of their father that the young Hans and his brother Ambrosius learnt the art of drawing, engraving and painting. Father and sons feature together in Holbein the Elder’s 1504 triptych, The Basilica of St Paul.

As teenagers, the brothers moved to Basel, the centre of Germany’s academic and publishing sectors, where they worked as engravers. Engraving was a highly important medium at the time, as one of the only ways to mass-produce images for wide circulation. While in Basel, Hans was also commissioned to paint portraits of the city’s mayor and his wife. His earliest surviving portraits, which reflect the Gothic style favoured by his father, are very different to the later works that would be considered his masterpieces.

In his early 20s, Holbein established himself as an independent master, running his own workshop, becoming a citizen of Basel and a member of its painters’ guild. It was a successful period for the young artist, who received numerous commissions from institutions and private individuals alike. Some of these were secular, such as his designs for the walls of the Town Hall. However, the majority were religious, such as illustrations for new editions of the Bible and paintings of biblical scenes.

It was during this time that Lutheranism began to make an impact in Basel. Several years earlier the founder of Protestantism nailed his 95 theses to the door of a church 600 km away in the city of Wittenberg. Interestingly, most of Holbein’s devotional works from his years in Basel indicate sympathy towards the new movement. For example, he created the title page for Martin Luther’s bible.

By

Urwa Khuram xxx