Portrait of a Lady, probably a Member of the Cromwell Family
Artist: Hans Holbein the Younger (German, 1497/98-1543)
Date: about 1535-1540
Dimensions:
Painting: 28 3/8 × 19 1/2 in. (72.1 × 49.5 cm)
Frame: 34 5/8 × 25 5/8 × 2 1/4 in. (87.9 × 65.1 × 5.7 cm)
Medium: oil on wood panel
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1926.57
Label Text:Depicted in a shallow space against a blue-gray wall, the woman in this portrait seems almost to project forward out of the frame, thanks to Hans Holbein’s technical skill and meticulous observation. German-born Holbein settled in England in 1532. By 1533 he had been employed by Henry VIII (ruled 1509-47), probably to design jewelry for Henry’s second wife Anne Boleyn. By the time this portrait was painted, he was court painter to the king, where his chief job was to paint portraits of the members of the royal court. This woman’s identity has not been determined, though her age, 21, is inscribed in gold on the painting. The painting belonged to the Cromwells for centuries, so she was probably a member of that prominent family. It has been suggested that she may be Elizabeth Seymour, daughter-in-law of Henry’s powerful government minister Thomas Cromwell and sister of Henry’s third wife, Jane Seymour.
Not on view
In Collection(s)