The King's Painter: The Life and Times of Hans Holbein

A superb insight into both Holbein, the artist, and into the world of The Tudor court. My only reservation is the limited array of illustrations. Fortunately, with an iPad to hand, you can find all the paintings that are discussed in the text. An excellent read.

This copy in replacement for original with damaged dust jacket. Excellent service from Amazon, very pleased. Lovely book.

As an avid History fan that loves portraiture ‘The King’s Painter’ was a confirmed purchase.The depth of detail and insight in to Holbein’s life and work as well as his various connections to the upper echelons of nobility and royalty was exquisite. A beautifully constructed book, with stunning colourful depictions of sketches and paintings throughout.I truly loved discovering the hidden gems and meanings in Holbien’s paintings. Having been aware of the Ambassadors but not the nuance of the fine detail I felt I was gaining a whole new perspective thanks to this book.Franny Moyle has such an easy writing style, even if (like me) you’re not an art history buff you don’t get overwhelmed by the terms and explanations.However…I struggled with Moyle’s use of a particular word…verisimilitude **internally screams at the flashbacks**. The author truly was a fan of this term. Once I pick up on something like this, in any book, I cannot un-see it and it did become really annoying. I hasten to add this is a personal peeve and most likely no one else will have picked up on it.Overall, if you have an interest in 15th-16th Century Europe, art history and the varied politics/machinations of the time then this book is for you. Franny Moyle has produced an interesting and enjoyable biography of a talented and complex artist…a gentle flick through a thesaurus would have made it a 5 star book for me.

Can there really be anything new to read about the Tudor Dynasty? You’d think not, but anything about Henry’s VII or VIII, Mary Tudor, Elizabeth I, Edward VI or any of their respective spouses and any author is onto a sure fire best seller!So how to compliment such a crowded literary market? The fashion in recent years with a marked increase and development in research has meant that a lot of the ‘other’ characters that lived alongside, served or became an influence upon Tudor histories are now getting their moment.Although Hans Holbein and his paintings of Henry VIII, Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleeves are as familiar to us as their stories, I can’t recall as full and fascinating an insight into the life of one whose career owed itself to, in this case, Henry VIII and his Court.While Franny Moyle has written an excellent and interesting biography, I learned a great deal about Holbein’s work, the influences and how he cared for his family, I can’t say as I got to ‘know’ the man himself.As his life unfolds and his paintings take form it is fascinating to discover the process of developing the subject-matter – from a sketch, to on occasion a life-size image such as the stark ‘Dead Christ’ or much later the More Family or those familiar Henry VIII portraits. But then Moyle also includes the incredibly detailed, arguably pioneering miniatures he created long before the works Hilliard would perfect during Elizabeth Tudor’s reign.Alongside Holbein’s work Moyle also reminds us of what it was like to live in Tudor times, political conflicts between France, Germany, Belgium, Holland and England. Holbein seemed to be very adept at pleasing all his patrons, regardless of nationality, but then his work held him in good stead with them all. It is only when the beginnings of the Reformation start to take hold of not just his patronage but also which religious faith to adhere too, that Holbein treads a very careful path to please one and all.Moyle has written a wonderful book to read and learn so much about life under the Tudors that all the more famous biographies of Kings and Queens came to life in the background. The author also in many descriptions highlights the brushwork which gives us all these centuries later an almost photographic collection of what these famous people actually looked like. The subtlety of the subject’s hair, beard or eyebrows, a pale, pasty complexion or one that the sun has softly kissed with a gentle hue. The descriptions of clothes and robes give us an insight into the often secretive messages hidden in embroidery or props that attract the viewer’s attention. He explanation of everything contained within ‘The Ambassadors’ is a revelation.If you like the Tudors and Art, this book is a must.

Overall I found this biography too dense, and far too much information branching off into tangents. As a result I had to skip read this to keep to the main subject. Excellent research, but I would have liked fewer words and more focus on the main topic