HANS HOLBEIN THE YOUNGER (1497/8-1543)
Edward, Prince of Wales (1537-1553)
1538RCIN 912200
This drawing of Edward (1537 – 1553), Henry VIII’s only legitimate son, was taken when he was just a year old. It was made in preparation for a painted portrait of the Prince which was presented by Holbein to Henry VIII as a New Year’s gift in 1539. Edward’s birth secured the succession of the Tudor dynasty. On Henry VIII’s death in 1547 he succeeded to the throne as Edward VI.