Holbein biography interrogates the artist's life and work from a different angle

"Consider Hans Holbein the Younger's portrait of Henry VIII's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves: an enigmatic look, cast from beneath heavy-lidded eyes; a long nose, the soft breath from which is almost felt; a red velvet gown richly adorned with gold and pearls, set against a blue background made more vivid by its recent restoration. Serving as the cover image for Elizabeth Goldring's biography, it is a painting that conveys much of her subject's continuing"

"This 424-page tome is an examination of Holbein's life (1497/8-1543), and though generously illustrated, the author declines to indulge her readers in too much pictorial interpretation. Neither Holbein's visual conceits, nor his deployment of symbolism, are Goldring's particular interest. She alludes only lightly to the innovative beats his works have made across the story of art: be that a near unmatched level of verisimilitude in his portraiture;"

"For despite all their apparent credibility, Holbein's sitters remain strangely alien, plucked from a past we can never properly know. Goldring is the latest in a line of biographers and art historians who have attempted to excavate that past. In so doing, she has taken the term "biographer" literally. This 424-page tome is an examination of Holbein's life (1497/8-1543), and though generously illustrated, the author declines to indulge her readers in too much pictorial interpretation."

Hans Holbein the Younger (1497/8–1543) produced portraits marked by remarkable verisimilitude, archaeological authenticity, and perspectival experimentation. Documentary evidence is interrogated to establish where and when Holbein's works were produced and to challenge accepted claims. Pictorial interpretation and symbolism feature only lightly; archival records, commissions, and chronology form the basis for revisions. Holbein's portraiture achieves near-unmatched verisimilitude; Dead Christ in the Tomb embodies archaeological authenticity; The Ambassadors demonstrates perspectival experimentation. Portraits retain an enigmatic, alien quality despite apparent credibility, leaving sitters seemingly plucked from an unknowable past. Restoration can intensify colors and enhance the perceived persuasiveness of Holbein's work. Archival scrutiny refines dates, contexts, and attributions while correcting or qualifying long-standing assumptions about his oeuvre and cultural influence.

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