On a visit to the National Gallery a couple of months ago, I picked up a book on Holbein from the shop. I can’t remember the name of it and can’t find it online – it’s currently packed ready for our house move.
Anyway, I was struck by Holbein’s portrait of his wife Elsbeth (born Binzenstock) in the painting ‘The artist’s family’ from c.1528. She just looks so much like a real person and also so expressive, sad even.
I am also fascinated by how Holbein rendered faces so beautifully, and I made a study of Eslbeth in pencil over the last few days as a start to understanding his use of tone. I would also like to paint a copy of Elsbeth but at this point it is rather daunting!
My pencil drawing after Holbein, Thalia 2023
I am curious as to how Holbein went about creating a portrait. It seems as though he started from a detailed drawing in coloured chalk – of the face and neck. He must have then transferred the drawing to canvas/panel somehow. I’m wondering if he used a dummy with the clothes on to render them in so much beautiful detail, especially since his drawings only seem to hint superficially at detail of the clothes around the neckline/shoulders.