The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-11-28

was lending a new though temporary
vigor to religious art. Holbein was as
great an exponent OF the second as Of the
first Of these national movements.
The imperial city Of Augsburg, where
Hans Holbein was born In 1897. was the
principal center of the early renaissance
in Germany. II had long possessed a ia
nous school OF painting. Holbeins
father uncle and brothers were all paint
ers. and he grew up in his fathers work
shop practicing painting from his ear
Hest boyhood. He remained in Augsburg
until 1916, and the city still preserves a
number OF his bOyish works which tes-
tify 10 great precocity. In 1912 he painted
some fine panels for the convent OF st.
Catherine; in 1915 the votive picture OF
the Schwartz family, and in 1916 the great
triptych OF the "Martyrdom Of st. Sebas-
tian,' where the figure OF St. Elizabeth
is one OF the most beautiful hitherto pro-
duced by German art. Numerous sketches
for portraits remain at Augsburg show
ing how early the boy tended toward his
great speciality and how soon he acquired
surety Of touch and characterization.
In l5l6, at the age OF l9, he went 10
dependent painter. he remained there ten
years, and during this time attained 10
the full maturity Of his talents. He then
rf b4sSsS which ep ss fer hd
entirely abandoned. The Virgin and
Child" at Solothurn, In 1922. with its
broad, heavy figures, was followed by
that world-renowned picture, the Ma
donna Of the Burgomaster Meyer Fam
tly, OF which the original is IN Darmstadt
and the better-known early copy In Ores
den. II is a marvellous example OF high
finish and splendid coloring and affects
one like peals OF a grand organ.
In his carly series OF passion pictures
Holbein treated poignant theme often
n a mr. al n fiSfE md In
which they loved TO revel in theatrical
and hideous realism. Holbein succeeded
In tempering this with some of the Italian
grace and repOse. The Catholic churches
OF Switzerland, so soon 10 be desecrated,
were decorated at this time with a num-
Der OF MS religious paintings. He en-
tered also the field OF classical allegOry
In a series OF frescoes in the hall of the
Town Council,
Still, even from the beginning OF his
life in Basel, he put the most OF his
Meier and his wife Oslo are soft and
harmonious. with transparent brown col
oring, inaugurating style that culmin-
ates in the superb head OF his friend, Bon
ifacius Amerbach. which has more pure
beauty than any Of the portraits Of his
later English period.
During The last years of his Basel life
O52S-20 Holbein devoted himself almost
exclusively to drawings for wood cuts.
OF which over 300 are known, besides
some twenty alphabets. They illustrated
laneous writings. The series OF the
Dance OF Death" carried his reputation
everywhere. Holbein may have been re-
duced 10 this work by the slight patron
age given him by the city which finally
drove him to England. At tee same time
he always showed a marked love for the
decorative and minor arts, we'll i.lustrat-
ed By the collections of his drawings
1t Is evident that Leonardo da Tincl ana
the Milanese school influenced Holbein
In Basel; he was even more strongly
swayed by the great Paduan Mantegna.
whose ensravings formed his drawing
and whose dramatic power clothed In
classic grace and mastery OF perspective
In architecture appealed TO him so for
appropriated in Holbein's larger compost
tions. beginning with his passion pic
lures (BaseD OF 1919 and ending in his
Triumph Of Riches and Triumph OF
man realism often continued. however. 10
pierce through in this Basel period I'm
ways often exaggerated, theatrical or re-
mustachioed Adam and an Eve. plain
studies from ungraceful models; such was
the single figure OF the dead Christ. so
startingly corpselike in its unsparing real
ism; such were many tragic and comic
details in his passion scenes and other
series. Holbein showed then a very
strong element OF comedy and satire.
drawings for illustrations.
II Is seldom that so little Is known OF
the private life OF an eminent artist. The
vague reports circulated long after his
death that he was OF lax morality and a
winebibber are hardly tenable in view OF
the friendships of such men as the great
Erasmus. the pure-minded Amerbach and
the moral paladn Sir Thomas More. II
is true that his marriage to widow ap-
pears not 10 have been a success: he aid
not take his wife and children to England.
and therefore was separated from them
for nearly all the latter part OF his life.
1t was the friendship OF Erasmus for
Holbein that enabled the painter TO go
to England in 1926 with good hopes of find
ing there the field denied him in Basel
Holbein's known output during the three
years Q527-2D OF this first English rest
dence was entirely. portraits. Beginning
with Sir Thomas More himself, TO whom
Erasmus had recommended him and
prominent men of More's circle. such az
Archbishop Warham, Bishop Fisher and
Sir Henry Guilford. he passed. as his rem
utation grew. 10 wider circle All his
portraits of these years have a force and
realism unusually penetrating-even for
Observation-Disclosures their hardness
as compared with his previous work ar
Basel There is almost no mannerism In
his portraits, no obvious Intervention OF
the artists personality, as there is in such