Holbein paintings and more from Henry VIII’s court to be exhibited

Nicholas Hilliard's miniature portrait of Henry VIII will be among the works on show

More than 100 works of art from King Henry VIII's court will go on show at the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace later this year.

The exhibition will include the largest number of works by Hans Holbein the Younger to be shown together in the UK for more than 15 years.

The artist was Henry VIII's painter and the most influential in Tudor England.

Holbein painted defining portraits of Henry, his six wives and other figures such as Sir Thomas More.

It is thought the king obtained the portraits after the artist's death from the plague in 1543.

A Holbein sketch of Anne Boleyn

The German painter spent two periods of his life in England, observing and bringing the faces of the Tudor court to life.

When he returned the second time, he worked under the patronage of Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell. By 1535, he was the King's Painter.

William Reskimer, painted by Holbein, held various positions at Henry VIII's court, including the page of the bedchamber

Holbein At The Tudor Court will highlight his time at court in the first half of the 16th Century. Works will include drawings, paintings, miniatures and book illustrations by the artist.

The exhibition will feature 40 preparatory portrait drawings alongside the resulting paintings.

Among them is a drawing of Mary Shelton, later Lady Heveningham, a cousin of Anne Boleyn and her lady-in-waiting. She was friends with poets such as Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, and may have been one of the king's mistresses.

Rumours at court were that Mary Shelton (later Lady Heveningham) was the king's mistress

Exhibition curator Kate Heard said: "His exquisite drawings and paintings were made using the techniques he had learned as an apprentice, but his impressive skill with these traditional materials saw him celebrated by contemporaries, as he is still celebrated today."

Other artists to feature in the exhibition will include William Scrots, who painted Elizabeth I and Edward VI; and Hans Eworth, who painted Elizabeth I and the Three Goddesses.

The works will be on show at the Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, between 10 November 2023 until 14 April 2024.