Sir Thomas More

Sir Thomas More, in this version attributed to Holbein's workshop, reflects the extensive replication of his portrait of Henry VIII's greatest chancellor. More sat for Holbein in 1527 during the painter's first English visit, producing an image that combined the full insignia of the Lord Chancellor's office with the psychological depth of a man whose intellectual life was as visible as his official rank. The subsequent multiplication of copies attests both to More's importance as a figure and to the quality of Holbein's original — an image so powerful in its combination of authority and humanity that it served as a model for the representation of English statesmanship across the sixteenth century.

Oil on canvas, the portrait demonstrates Hans Holbein the Younger's command of psychological penetration and precise draftsmanship. The careful modeling of the face reveals close study of the sitter's physiognomy, while the treatment of costume and setting projects appropriate social standing.