Portrait of henry viii. Black, red, and white chalk on pink-primed paper, 30. 7 × 24. 4 cm, state graphics collection, munich. This drawing resembles the portrait of henry viii in holbein's cartoon for a large mural at whitehall palace, later destroyed in a fire, and may have been copied from the mural. The king's face is drawn more frontally than on the cartoon, but holbein made this adjustment himself for the mural, as is shown from copies. The full-length copy of holbein's henry viii in the walker art gallery, for example, shows the same frontal view of the face as in the present drawing. The frilled collar in the drawing and in the walker portrait suggests that they are closely connected. The right-handed shading indicates that the copy is not by holbein himself, who was left-handed. The sheet is inscribed on the back "hans swarttung", who may have been an assistant of holbein. Reference
susan foister, holbein in england, london: tate, 2006, isbn 1854376454, p. 118. Date: c. 1540?.
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