Portrait of Thomas Cromwell

Thomas Cromwell was one of the most influential political figures during and around the reign of Henry VIII and this key individual was carefully portrayed by German painting Hans Holbein.

This portrait was completed around 1532-1533 and is now a part of the Frick Collection, which includes several other Hans Holbein paintings. This insitution is based in New York, US and continues to add to its permanent collection every year. After the initial artworks had been donated in a single, generous gesture, many other paintings and sculptures have also been gifted from other private collections as well as other antiquities from all manner of different historical periods.

This venue's collection of paintings specialises most in artists from Italy, France and the UK. There are too many famous names to include all of them here, but some of the highlights alongside Hans Holbein include the likes of Aelbert Cuyp, Gerard David, Georges de la Tour, Johannes Vermeer, Cimabue plus a fine selection of work from the career of Francois Boucher.

Holbein is regarded as one of the finest portrait painters in history and his career ouevre is dominated by work within this medium. The majority were commissioned three-quarter length pieces of a single subject. Invariably Holbein would keep the rest of the scene bland and dark in order to allow the subject's facial features to be soaked in light to help this part stand out the most. The artist also allowed enough light to pass across the clothing in order to be able to add enough detail of their attire, often accompanied with jewellery or perhaps a hat.