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Hans Holbein the Younger, 'Erasmus', 1523

Key facts
Full title Erasmus
Artist Hans Holbein the Younger
Artist dates 1497/8 - 1543
Date made 1523
Medium and support Oil on wood
Dimensions 73.6 × 51.4 cm
Inscription summary Dated
Acquisition credit On loan from Longford Castle collection
Inventory number L658
Location Room 12
Image copyright On loan from Longford Castle collection, © Longford Castle Collection
Collection Main Collection
Erasmus
Hans Holbein the Younger

Erasmus (1466/9 - 1536) was one of the most famous writers of his day and one of the most admired humanist scholars. In this portrait the artist has tried to surround the sitter with items which reflect his interests and profession. This idea was developed further in Holbein's 'The Ambassadors'. A Latin couplet on the book on the back shelf, perhaps by Erasmus himself, praises Holbein's skill: 'I am Johannes (i.e. Hans) Holbein, whom it is easier to denigrate than to emulate.'

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More paintings by Hans Holbein the Younger

A Lady with a Squirrel and a Starling (Anne Lovell?)
A Lady with a Squirrel and a Starling (Anne Lovell?)
Hans Holbein the Younger
A solemn woman wearing a soft cap of dense white fur sits with a red squirrel in her lap and a glossy-feathered starling at her shoulder. Common pets in the fifteenth-century, these animals also have a symbolic meaning and serve as clues to the sitter’s identity. She is thought to be Anne Lovell,...
Room 27
Christina of Denmark, Duchess of Milan
Christina of Denmark, Duchess of Milan
Hans Holbein the Younger
This elegant young woman is Christina of Denmark, the youngest daughter of King Christian of Denmark. In 1538, King Henry VIII of England was looking for a fourth wife, after the death of Jane Seymour the previous year. As Henry’s official court artist, Holbein was sent to Brussels to capture the...
Room 12
The Ambassadors
The Ambassadors
Hans Holbein the Younger
Jean de Dinteville, the man on the left, is shown on his second diplomatic mission to England on behalf of Francis I, King of France. To the right is his close friend, Georges de Selve, Bishop of Lavaur. This portrait was painted at a time of religious upheaval in Europe. Although the pope had re...
Room 12