Complex patterns were typical of the detail the German oil painter Hans Holbein the Younger used when he painted the famous (and not-so-famous) members of society. But the Holbein rugs originated in the details he added to his paintings — background, clothing and antique rug patterns so intricate and complex that they became as famous as the people he memorialized.
Holbein was mesmerized and fascinated by patterns he added to his portraits. This was especially gutsy since the parochial religious constraints during his time were so stringent, that adding too much detail to a painting could land an artist in jail for any number of reasons. Holbein managed to circumvent criticism by church authorities because his true-to-life portraits so accurately emulated members of Basel Switzerland’s upper class society. From that point on, his fame only grew.