Hans Holbein the Younger was one of the most talented artists of the 16th century. Holbein was born in Augsburg, Germany, in around 1497. He was the son of an artist, also called Hans, and probably initially trained with his father.

By 1515, he had travelled to Basel in Switzerland, where he found success as a painter and designer of book illustrations. In 1526, Holbein travelled to London seeking work at the Tudor court. His first patrons in England were Sir Thomas More, a lawyer, government official and writer, and others from More’s learned circle, among them Sir Henry Guildford, a close friend of Henry VIII. Holbein was commissioned to make portraits for these patrons, as well as working with a team of painters on decorations at Greenwich Palace in London. View the portraits of Sir Thomas More and Sir Henry Guildford.

Although Holbein briefly travelled back to Basel in 1528, he returned to England in 1532 and remained there until his death in 1543. He achieved great success as a portrait painter at the Tudor court. By 1536, he had been appointed ‘King’s Painter’, one of several artists paid a salary by Henry VIII for their services. Holbein was celebrated by his contemporaries for the skill of his art and the lifelike quality of his portraits.