File:Henry VIII and Henry VII, by Hans Holbein the Younger.jpg: Difference between revisions

<br/>This is the only remaining section of a preparatory drawing Holbein made for a mural at Westminster Hall that included life-sized portraits of [[w:Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]], [[w:Jane Seymour|Jane Seymour]], [[w:Henry VII of England|Henry VII]], and [[w:Elizabeth of York|Elizabeth of York]]. Holbein would have transferred the picture to the wall by pricking holes along the outlines with a needle and blowing or dabbing fine charcoal powder through to mark the surface. The mural, which was destroyed by fire in 1698, is now known through [[:File:Remigius van Leemput 001.jpg| a copy made by Remigius van Leemput]] in 1667, and through printed versions. The pose struck in this drawing was much copied and became the most famous image of Henry VIII. Holbein's half-length portrait of Henry in this pose is in the [[w:Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum|Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum]], Madrid, but all other surviving versions, which often show the king looking more directly forward, are not by Holbein himself. The king's stance is intentionally heroic, in accordance with the Tudor propaganda inscribed on the stone block in the centre of the mural. At this time, the pose was unusual, since standing with legs apart, though heroic, had been considered impolite; but it was later imitated, for example in portraits of Henry's son and heir, [[w:Edward VI of England|Edward VI]]. (Reference: Buck, pp. 112–19.)}}