The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-11-28

More himself. to whom Erasmus had
recommended him, and prominent men
or Nore's circle, such as Archbishop
Warham, Bishop Fisher and Sir Henry
Guilford, he passed, as his reputation
grew TO wider circle. All his po--
traits OF these years have a force and
realism unusually penetrating-even
for Observation-Disclosures their
/ harshness as compared with his pre-
vious work at Basel.E There is almost
no mannerism in his portraits. no OBJ
vicus Intervention of the artists per-
sonality. as there is in such other
great portraitists as Rembrandt and
Van Dyck. While at times Holbein
may seem wanting in the imaginative
idealizing of character. his powers of
observation which served him with
such unerring accuracy, even in the mi
nutest details. reproduce also the whole
of the individual in a way that is per-
fectly convincing The delicate lines
of the sketches for his portraits are al
ways clear and firm and show no re-
touches: on these quick sketches, with
occasional color notes, aided by his
wonderful memory. he relied almost en-
tireiy in making the finished portraits,
and he did not burden his subjects
with many sittings. a study of his nu-
merous drawings at Windsor and Basel
is indispensable.
When Holbcin returned to Basel in
1929 he found that the most disorderly
elements of the reformation had tri-
umphed. The churches for which ne
had worked had beet2 sacked and the
Paintings-his among theqn-destroyed.
The reformers themselves had forbid
den religious art Holbsin found no
public commissions awaiting him ex-
cept some wall paintings in the great
council hail, where he had already
worked in mis- youth. The scenes of
'Rehoboam Threatening the Israel
ties" of Samuel Cordemning Saul for
Sparing the Amalekites" and of 'Hez-
esiah Ordering the Destruction of the
IDOLS We're subjects inspired by the
hatreds and violence of the times.
Still. as grand heroic compositions,
worthy of ranking with the great works
OF contemporary Italian frescoistS they
are unique in German art. Like all the
rest of Holbeins monumental works,
they have persisted, and only sketches
remain.
The bitter religious wars of the Swiss
states, that made art impossible, drove
Hoibein back TO England in 1882. aud
there he continued to live for the rest
of his life except for few journeys to
France and Belgium and a short visit
to Basel itself. Holbein found that Sir
Thomas More and his party had fallen
into disfavor. and the loss of his old
friends made him turn for patronage
TO the circle of.his own compatriots in
London-the wealthy German nerch-
ants of the Steelyard. From 1882 to
1886 he painted number of portraits
OF these worthless. Perhaps with a view
10 catering TO their vanity and national
love of homely detail! he often intro
duced accessories that mar the sim
plicity of these portraits, though they
are dono with the care of the hest
painters of still life. The most nota-
BILE OF ccloring, finish and character is
the half figure of '.Jorg Gysin" in Ber-
lin. which is perhaps the greatest work
of this period OF his life, though almost
r.vaied by the 1.-TWO Ambassadors"
C533) in the national gallery.
Every year added to the painters re-
putation. Perhaps the portrait of Sir
Richard Southwell in 1886 opened the
way TO his appointment in 1857 as court
painter. This year marks an epoch in
his life: he painted in the palace at
Whitehall the monumental portrait
picture. with the full-length figures of
Henry VIII and his wife. Jane Sey-
mour, his father. Henry VII. and his
sno.her. EliZabath< The portrait of
Henry VIII in this picture was the
starting point of most of the kings
later portraits. Some idea of it's ex-
ttutipii tdii Bt Sdliitu itS4ll tlie ttu-
temporary portrait of him by the kings
goldsmith. Hubert Morett" Dresien).
his greatest existing work for these
years.
Shortly after the painter was sent
by the king of Brussels to make a por-
trait of the Duchess of Milan. whom he
though of marrying. The existing full
length Of the duchess fNorfolk coliec-
tion) is one of the simplest. most direct
and sympathetic of all his works.
Roloein became the Dortrayer in sue
ceasion of Henry's various queens and
their children. as we'll as of the great
lords and ladies Of the court. The es-
timation In which he was held NAV be
gagged by the anecdote OF his throwing
a noble1nan downstairs-whsreat the
king declared that he could any day
make seven ears out of seven peas
ants but out Of seven earls he could
not make one Holbein. The painter
must have also sAeen court decorator
and architectural designer. director of