''Portrait of Christina of Denmark'' was painted with oil on oak panel by

Hans Holbein the Younger Hans Holbein the Younger ( , ; german: Hans Holbein der Jüngere; – between 7 October and 29 November 1543) was a Germans, German-Swiss people, Swiss painter and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style, and is considered o ...

in 1538. It was commissioned that year by

Thomas Cromwell Thomas Cromwell (; 1485 – 28 July 1540), briefly Earl of Essex, was an English lawyer and statesman who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false charge ...

, agent for

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

, as a betrothal painting following the death of the English Queen

Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was List of English consorts, Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their Wives of Henry VIII, marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen followi ...

. It shows the then sixteen-year-old

Christina of Denmark Christina of Denmark ( da, Christine af Danmark; November 1521 – 10 December 1590) was a Danish princess, the younger surviving daughter of King Christian II of Denmark and Norway and Isabella of Austria. By her two marriages, she became Du ...

, widowed Duchess of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

. Her striking manner and strength of character are apparent in the portrait. Although Henry was taken by the representation, the marriage proposal did not go ahead, not least because Christina was aware of Henry's earlier mistreatment of his wives. She is reported as saying, "If I had two heads, I would happily put one at the disposal of the King of England".Wilson (2006), 251 Various political and practical obstacles related to her ties with the Lutheran church also thwarted the match. Art historian Derek Wilson wrote that the portrait "is the loveliest painting of a woman olbeinever painted, that is, it is one of the finest female portraits ever painted."Wilson (2006), 250 Despite it not resulting in the marriage he had hoped for, Henry liked the portrait so much that he kept it until he died. It was acquired in 1909 by the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

, London, where it is on permanent display. Key facts: Christina of Denmark, Duchess of Milan
.

, London. Retrieved 14 March 2015

Commission

Following the 1537 death of the English Queen

, Holbein was commissioned to paint portraits of noblewomen eligible to marry Henry VIII. Christina was Duchess of Milan, and widowed to

Francesco II Sforza Francesco II Sforza (February 4, 1495 – November 2, 1535) was Duke of Milan from 1521 until his death. He was the last member of the Sforza family to rule Milan. He was the second son of Ludovico Sforza and Beatrice d'Este. When Ludovico ...

, who had died in 1535 when she was just thirteen. Thomas Cromwell sent Holbein and the ambassador Philip Hoby to Brussels to meet with her. He was tasked with providing a straightforward, exact portrait of the girl.Bätschmann (1999), 192 They arrived in Denmark on 10 March 1538, where on the 12th Christina sat for the portrait for three hours between 1:00 and 4:00 pm. Christina of Denmark, Duchess of Milan
.

, London. Retrieved 14 March 2015 Holbein would have been able to converse with her in his native German. That afternoon he made preparatory sketches of her head; the final oil painting was completed at some point shortly after his return to England. Hans Holbein d

Henry was so taken with the initial colour drawings for the portrait — which showed only her head — that, according to the imperial ambassador Eustace Chapuys, "since he saw it he has been in much better humour than he ever was, making musicians play on their instruments all day long". On the basis of the drawing, he commissioned Holbein to extend it to a full-length oil panel.

Description

Christina stands in full length in a frontal pose. She is set against a turquoise background, reminiscent of 15th century Burgundian art. She is dressed in black mourning clothes years after the death of her husband, as was the custom for women in noble Italian marriages. Her black gown is lined with brown fur. She throws a shadow against the wall behind her, a further strip of shadow appears on the right hand side, thrown by an unseen source. Her expression is lively and engaged. She is given bright red lips, whose colour is echoed by the red ring on her fingers. Her youth is conveyed through her half smile, oval face, shy expression and dimples. Although the portrait is filled with indicators of her nobility, she has taken off her gloves, allowing an informal, intimate atmosphere. She is given almost perfect white skin, the tones of which are offset against the black overcoat.

Notes

Sources

* Bätschmann, Oskar. ''Hans Holbein''. Princeton University Press, 1999. * John Rowlands, Holbein: The Paintings of Hans Holbein the Younger. Complete Edition. Boston, David R. Godine, 1985. * Strong, Roy, "Holbein in England". ''The Burlington Magazine'', Volume 109, No. 770, 1967 *Wilson, Derek. ''Hans Holbein: Portrait of an Unknown Man.'' London: Pimlico, Revised Edition, 2006.

External links

At National Gallery
{{Authority control 1538 paintings

Collections of the National Gallery, London