Lais of Corinth

Holbein's Lais of Corinth (1526) at the Kunstmuseum Basel depicts the famous ancient courtesan of that name, using a classical figure to create a secular allegorical painting that belongs to the humanist tradition of paintings about love, beauty, and desire. Lais, the most celebrated courtesan of ancient Corinth, provided a subject for moralizing reflection on the transience of beauty and the dangers of desire. Holbein painted this work during his first Basel period, when he was engaged with both the humanist intellectual circle and the market for secular allegorical painting alongside his more numerous religious and portrait commissions. The work demonstrates his ability to handle the classical female nude with the same precise observation he brought to contemporary portraiture.

The figure's calm, direct gaze and the precisely rendered coins on the table create an image that balances classical allusion with Northern naturalistic precision.