Portrait of Christina of Denmark

Hans Holbein the Younger painted this portrait of Christina of Denmark in 1538 and it was a politically-charged commission by Henry VIII, via his representative, Thomas Cromwell.

The ruling monarch in England included this gift as part of a larger campaign to attract the young royal into marriage. Such a bond would never occur in the end, partly due to the confident Christina being aware and entirely perturbed by the experiences of Henry's previous wives. She simply did not want the same fate as his previous wives and so did not seek this arrangement. That said, it is a truly charming portrait painting which captures the strong character of this head strong young woman who, even at 16 years of age, was bold enough to reject the advances of perhaps the most famous royal in English history.

There were several study sketches completed by Holbein in preparation for the final oil painting, though the artwork here was probably not completed whilst in the subject's presence. The artist visited the duchess in Denmark on the 10th of March, 1538 and persuaded her to sit for several hours whilst he went about understanding her features through study and also producing several drawings so that he could supplement his memories upon returning to the UK.

This beautifully delivered portrait painting, typical of Hans Holbein, was purchased by the National Gallery, London in around 1909. That institution has since added several more Hans Holbein paintings into their collection and it remains one of the best public galleries for followers of this respected German artist. His strong connection to the English monarchy also makes it highly appropriate that several of his best works remain in the UK.