 | Accessible version |
This is a very famous person, King Henry VIII. The portrait was painted
in around 1537 by a pupil or follower of the famous painter Hans Holbein the Younger. It is a
large painting - 239cm x 134.5cm.
There are 5 clues to interpret - see how many you can spot on the first go. At any point you can
click on a quarter of the image to zoom in on that quarter. Click again to zoom back out.
If you do not wish to work through this explore section but would like find out more about this portrait, you can do so here.
What evidence shows us that Henry was a king?
Any wealthy Tudor man may have worn his hat.
Try again
There are lots of jewels in this painting and they suggest that this man
is very rich, but they do not tell us that Henry was a king.
Try again
That's right. There are no real clues to tell us that the man in the painting
was a king. Royal portraits usually had symbols to show who the person was and how powerful they were,
e.g. crowns. Holbein did not use such symbols in this portrait. Henry is wearing a special garter (the
Order of the Garter) but this only tells us that he was high-ranking nobility or a prince.
Continue
Henry's face, hands and pose are very expressive. What do they tell us about Henry?
This is not right. Henry was famous for being moody.
Try again
That's right. Henry looks powerful. He is looking right at the viewer. His fists
are clenched like a boxer's. His pose makes him look very confident. All of these make Henry look very
strong and ready to fight.
Continue
This is probably not right.
Try again
Holbein has painted Henry standing on a small step. What effect does this have?
This isn't right. The painting is larger than real life so Henry does not
seem short.
Try again
That's right. Henry was the most powerful man in England. He was socially 'above'
everyone else. This step also makes him physically above everyone as well. He is looking down on his people.
Continue
It does have an effect - Holbein was very careful what he put in his paintings.
Try again
We know from Henry's own armour that his legs were not as long as they look here. What affect does painting longer legs have?
This isn't right. Henry was quite large already so didn't need to look bigger.
Try again
That's right. By making someone's legs look longer it makes them look taller. A fat
body then looks in proportion to the legs and the figure looks more elegant. Holbein was flattering Henry.
Continue
This isn't right.
Try again
Hanging from Henry's neck is a large disc-like jewel. It was probably a pomander. What was the purpose of this pomander?
That is right. People did not wash very often in Tudor times. It probably contained
sweet-smelling herbs and perfumes to hide any bad smells.
Continue
That's not right.
Try again
It was a pretty piece of jewellery but this was not its purpose.
Try again
You can learn more about 'Henry VIII' here, or follow the link below to return to the main page.
