HOLBEIN, Hans the Younger: Study for the Family Portrait of Sir Thomas More

Study for the Family Portrait of Sir Thomas More Hans Holbein the Younger created this preparatory drawing while working on one of the Renaissance's most ambitious family portraits, commissioned by the influential English statesman and humanist Sir Thomas More. Dating to 1527, the sketch demonstrates Holbein's meticulous working method—carefully planning compositions and studying individual figures before executing the final painting. As a German-born artist who would become a dominant force in Tudor court portraiture, Holbein's attention to psychological detail and spatial arrangement in these studies reveals why he became indispensable to England's cultural elite during the 16th century.