Henry VIII

The immensely prolific and talented Czech printmaker Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677) was employed as an artist and cataloguer in the household of Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel, who was one of the greatest art collectors of his era, between 1636 and 1644. The Earl, a victim of the English Civil War, fled overseas and died in 1646; Hollar himself moved with his family to Antwerp in 1644, where this etching would have been made. The return of political stability led to Hollar's return to London in 1652, where he lived and worked until his death.

While Hollar is very much a figure of the 17^th century, he has a profound sense of history. This is evident in his copy of an early Renaissance drawing of a chalice (Te Papa 1961-0006-12), in his superb renditions of the exteriors – really the personalities – of Gothic cathedrals – and also in his portrait of King Henry VIII (1489-1547).

This is based on a painting by Hans Holbein then in the Arundel Collection, as indicated in the Latin inscription ‘Holbein pinxit, W Hollar fecit ex Collectione Arundeliana’. It dates from 1647, by which time Hollar too had fled from war-stricken England to Antwerp. Whether it was a belated commission from his noble patrons or – more likely – a royal portrait intended to be a best-selling etching is not documented. It depicts Henry VIII in his massive, regal prime, wearing a fur gown over a brocaded vest, and a chain with a circular jewel round his neck.

See:

Mark Stocker, 'Wenceslaus Hollar: Etching the 17th century', http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/tag/wenceslaus-hollar/

The Met, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/361637

Dr Mark Stocker             Curator, Historical International Art       April 2017