Hans Holbein and the National Gallery

Germany was my focus today at the National Gallery. Specifically, I chose to examine four works by Hans Holbein the Younger in room 4. All of his work featured people- three of the paintings were portraits while one painting was much larger than the others and contained two men and a background scene. The painting with the two men was called Jean de Dinteville and Georges de Selve, or The Ambassadors. It was completed in 1533 for Dinteville, the French ambassador to the court of King Henry VIII. The two men are obviously wealthy. They are well dressed and even wearing fur. This painting gives the viewer an idea of what the upper class would have looked like. The room in which they are standing contains several objects which seem to make cultural statements. It featured a lute with a broken string, which might stand for the chaos caused by the Reformation. A silver crucifix was also in the room and served as a reminder for the importance of Christianity. Several globes and navigation tools can be seen in the painting. At the time of the painting’s production, the various European nations were in the middle of the Age of Exploration. Seafaring and exploring were clearly important to this culture. The most interesting aspect of the painting was a white shape on the floor. When viewed from the right hand side it becomes clear that this shape is actually a skull. This skull might serve as a reminder of human mortality. People of this culture must have been ever aware of death’s presence for the artist to include it in the painting.

The other three paintings of Holbein’s that I viewed were portraits. Unlike the previous painting, these paintings suggest that simplicity was also valued. The portrait called Lady with a Squirrel and a Starling showed a lady sitting outside in front of a tree. A squirrel and a starling stand by her. The animals and tree emphasize the presence and peace of nature. Next to this painting was a portrait of Christina of Denmark, the Duchess of Milan. She wears a black mourning dress that seems expensive and has fur around the neck. The background is only a blue wall with a shadow of the duchess. This portrait was for Henry VIII when he was seeking a fourth wife. The intention of this painting is clearly to reveal the looks of Christina of Denmark because the simple background contains nothing else which might cause the viewer’s attention to stray from the person. The last portrait of Holbein’s was a portrait of Erasmus, the humanist scholar. Erasmus has his hands placed on a book and other books in the background. The presence of the books suggests that this culture must have valued science and discovery. Holbein’s work reflects both simplicity and complexity. Each piece reveals some interesting aspect about the culture in which it was produced.