Clarifying the existence of the workshop of Hans Holbein the Younger during his periods of work in England

Abstract

Hans Holbein Jr was a key figure in the history of English painting. Many questions related to his biography and creative method still remain open. One of them is whether the artist had assistants in the work on orders for easel painting during his stay in England. In recent years, many studies of that period painting technology have been carried out in general and Holbein’s works in particular, that allow to approach the issue solution. The article contains and compares the results of the most significant works related to that. Their analysis shows that the probability of the existence of a workshop or assistants for Holbein in his English periods is very high. That is supported by a number of circumstantial evidence. Firstly, the method of work of the master and the specifics of the demand for easel painting in England of that period made it profitable to hire assistants. Secondly, the facts of the biography of Hans Holbein the Younger indicate that working in workshops based on the division of labor or with a group of artists was a natural practice for him. Thirdly, there are many works created during Holbein’s lifetime, from his drawings, in his style, but not by his hand, which suggests the possibility of their painting under the direction of Holbein by his assistants or students. The final solution of the question of the existence of Holbein’s workshop is necessary to clarify the attribution of his works and to understand the genesis of the English painting tradition.