Sir Thomas More (1478–1535)

This portrait attributed to Holbein and identified as Sir Thomas More reflects the extensive demand for likenesses of the humanist statesman and martyr after his execution in 1535. More had been Holbein's most important early English patron, introducing him to the Tudor court and commissioning the lost More Family group portrait. His death for refusing to acknowledge Henry's supremacy over the Church made him a Catholic martyr, and demand for his image intensified accordingly. Holbein's portraits of More — whether originals or versions made in his workshop — established the definitive likeness that would serve as the basis for Catholic martyrology across the following centuries. The psychological gravity and moral weight of More's face as Holbein rendered it proved impossible to separate from his historical significance.

The portrait is rendered with luminous color that characterizes Hans Holbein the Younger's best work. Oil on canvas provides a rich ground for the subtle gradations of flesh tone and the textural contrasts between skin, fabric, and background that give the image its convincing presence.