This portrait of Philip Melanchthon (1497–1560), the famous Protestant reformer, recalls the images of erudite men that Holbein painted during his years in Basel. Holbein never met Melanchthon and probably relied on a print as the basis for the likeness. This is the only known complete kapselbild (portrait with a lid) by the artist, and its inscription asserts that Holbein’s art rivals nature, a well-known theme from antiquity that would have appealed to Melanchthon as well as to the recipient of this object. Given its elaborate decoration and sophisticated theme, the piece may have been intended as a gift for someone of high status, perhaps even King Henry VIII of England.

This likeness conveys the poise of a woman of distinction, probably a member of the English court. The sitter’s serene features are balanced by the emphatic yet decorous gesture of her clasped hands. Holbein’s sumptuous palette and use of gold—on her fashionable French hood, the gleaming jeweled medallion affixed to her gown, and even the tiny pin fastening her black sleeve— date this portrait to the last years of his career but provide no clues to the sitter’s identity. The medallion, which shows two figures standing on either side of a fire, might represent an Old Testament scene.

This is the only known manuscript illumination by Holbein. The animal and foliate forms of the letter E recall his designs for woodcut letters as well as for jewelry and metalwork. The illumination decorates the beginning of a manual for using an astronomical instrument (the horopterum) to determine the times of sunrise and sunset. The author was the royal astronomer Nicholas Kratzer, whose portrait Holbein painted in 1528 (now at the Louvre, Paris). Kratzer dedicated this manuscript to King Henry VIII, who was keenly interested in scientific pursuits, and likely presented it to the king as a New Year’s gift.

This assured drawing, tinted with watercolor and touches of gold to guide the application of enamel by a goldsmith, is one of Holbein’s most finished designs for a hat badge or medallion. It focuses on the tale of Tantalus, who, according to Greek mythology, was eternally punished by Zeus for abusing the hospitality of the gods. Trapped in a pool beneath an apple tree, Tantalus (the source of the word “tantalize”) strains upward yet cannot reach the fruit to satisfy his hunger. Although he is in undulating water, Tantalus also is not allowed to quench his thirst. Despite its minute scale, the complex composition fully conveys the drama of the story.

William Parr (1513–1571) was the brother of Catherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII. Renowned for his taste and good looks, Parr is shown wearing a fur-edged gown made of white and purple velvet and satin (as indicated by the artist’s inscriptions). Also included are quick sketches showing details of various jewels that he supposedly wore. The object at upper left probably depicts St. George and the Dragon, likely a reference to George as a patron saint of the chivalric Order of the Garter, to which Parr belonged. Below, Holbein included a study of a jewel inscribed with the word MORS (death), probably part of a longer motto or device.

A large pearl represents the muscled physique of the mythological strongman Hercules. He wears the skin of the Nemean lion, killed in the first of his twelve labors, and hoists one of the pillars of Cádiz from his tenth trial. In the 1500s, the figure of Hercules represented the virtue of fortitude and was the personal symbol of the French king Francis I, who may have commissioned this magnificent pendant.

One of the most popular types of jewels at the English court, the hat badge signaled the taste, wealth, and virtue of its owner. Such pieces could be attached to the brim of a hat with a pin or by stitching through metal loops at the top and bottom. In this work, Prudence, personified by a young woman in ancient Roman dress, regards herself in a mirror—reflecting on the true nature of her character and actions.

This exceptionally large and elaborate hat badge portrays the dramatic climax of a story from the book of Genesis, when an angel stops Abraham as he is about to prove his faith by sacrificing his son Isaac. The high relief of the figures, clever incorporation of gemstones to relay the narrative, and vibrant enamel distinguish this example of exquisite small-scale sculpture

Hat badges incorporated a range of religious and emblematic imagery in a small format. The severed head of St. John the Baptist on a bloody platter was a popular devotional image that related to faith while warning against jealousy and envy. This exceptional example, in which the head of the saint appears in high relief against shimmering red enamel, attests to the vividness and refinement of French jewels.

Depicting the bust of an ancient Roman warrior in a niche, this badge resembles the decoration on prominent new buildings of the day, such as Henry VIII’s palace at Hampton Court, completed in the 1520s. This small-scale sculpture was probably originally enameled, similar to the badge of St. John the Baptist on view nearby, which would have made it more conspicuous and underscored its three-dimensionality. The portrait of Richard Southwell includes an enamelled hat badge of similar form to this example.

Sir Richard Southwell (1502/3–1564) rose to prominence in the last decade of Henry VIII’s reign. During this tumultuous period, which started with the rupture between the English sovereign and the papacy, the court was purged of those deemed insufficiently loyal to the king. Southwell played an important role in the trials of Sir Thomas More and, later, Henry Howard, both of whom were charged with treason and executed. Southwell’s portrait, by contrast, underscores his allegiance to Henry VIII. For instance, the inscription on the background refers to the regnal year rather than the calendar year. The fashionable hat badge, in the form of a female bust, also ties Southwell to the culture of luxury and erudition that characterized the Henrician court.

Holbein’s ingenious designs for emblems and heraldry attest to his skill and to the popularity of such articles in Tudor England. Two drawings at top, likely intended as plans for precious objects, show a hand emerging from the clouds and resting on a closed book. Both feature the same motto in Italian: “I desire to observe that which I have sworn.” The circular format and Italian inscriptions connect these miniature compositions with Holbein’s painted An Allegory of Passion, thus revealing the artist’s ability to convey related ideas in a variety of scales and mediums. Designs for Holbein’s own heraldic arms, featuring a bull’s head, are included at the center of the mount.

Now trimmed and mounted as small individual drawings, these studies for jeweled pendants and other types of metalwork were likely part of a sketchbook of Holbein’s designs known as the “Jewelry Book.” Lot and His Wife is the only surviving design for a jewel that also appears in one of Holbein’s paintings—Portrait of a Woman, Possibly from the Cromwell Family. It remains unclear, however, whether the artist designed the medallion himself or if this sketch records an object already owned by the sitter. It is equally possible that the jewel is an imaginary piece, invented by Holbein to embellish the portrait and its subject.

This woman’s embroidered cuffs and the gold decorations along her sleeves and headdress attest to her high status and likely association with the court. The portrait’s early history links it to the family of Thomas Cromwell, chancellor to King Henry VIII, and suggests that the sitter might have been a member of that prominent clan. Her intricate medallion depicts the biblical story of Lot and his wife in minute scale: An angel leads the pair away from the destruction of Sodom and tells them not to look back. Lot’s wife disregards the warning and is turned into a pillar of salt— represented here by a large rectangular gem at the center of the jewel. The medallion corresponds with the drawn design by Holbein on view nearby.

These minute designs were intended for fabrication by goldsmiths and jewelers, who incorporated the intricate forms into the borders and clasps of their products. The drawings demonstrate Holbein’s refined technique, particularly his command of arabesques. The artist used similar forms to decorate the corners of his painting An Allegory of Passion.

These designs for book-jewels were intended to be fashioned in gold and black enamel. The two on the top row feature rings that could be attached to a girdle, chain, or necklace. These metalwork covers also bear the initials of Thomas Wyatt the Younger (TW) and his wife, Joan (IW), which have been incorporated into fluid arabesques, a style fashionable in the English court in the period. The decorative patterns on these and other book-jewels were derived from ornamental motifs found on bookbindings.

The binding of this devotional book is tooled in gold in a popular style of foliate ornament. First seen in Islamic manuscripts and artwork, this type of arabesque spread north into Europe through Italy and Spain, where it was used across an array of decorative arts. Reflecting the demand for such motifs, Holbein designed miniature book covers to be fabricated in gold and enamel as precious versions of gold-and-leather bindings. This example by an unknown artisan incorporates the name of the female patron for whom it was made.

Witty, inventive, and occasionally satirical, the poet Thomas Wyatt (ca. 1503–1542) exerted wide influence in cultured courtly circles. An important early translator of poems by Francesco Petrarch (1304–1374), Wyatt introduced the Italian sonnet form to England. Holbein portrayed Wyatt not as a writer, with book and pen, but as a courtier, perhaps in recognition of his recent knighthood. The artist rendered Wyatt’s identifying feature, his luxuriant beard, with a combination of animated strokes of ink and black, brown, and yellow chalks.

Holbein’s commemorative portrait bust of Thomas Wyatt is accompanied by laudatory verses by John Leland, a royal antiquarian and Wyatt’s longtime friend. Wyatt appears in a roundel frame, with his characteristic full beard. He is bareheaded and wears a tunic in the manner of an ancient philosopher, in keeping with his own poetry and Leland’s verses. The lines above the portrait praise Holbein’s artistic mastery while acknowledging painting’s inability to represent a subject’s mind or spirit—a sentiment expressed in portraits of Erasmus that are also on view.

Henry Howard (1516/17–1547)—a poet, soldier, and protégé of Thomas Wyatt—was still a teenager when he posed for this forthright yet delicate portrait. Holbein paid close attention to the almost imperceptible irregularities of the young man’s features, such as the slightly different shapes of Howard’s brown eyes and eyelids. The artist shaded the right side of the sitter’s face with a combination of black and red chalks, which he carefully blended by rubbing or stumping to produce a sculptural effect.

Charles de Solier, Comte de Morette, (1480–1552) served as French ambassador to the court of Henry VIII on several occasions between 1526 and 1535. He commissioned this portrait medal to commemorate his illustrious career. The round format and high relief of Christoph Weiditz’s portrait bust help convey Morette’s imposing presence, with his square beard and fur-lined gown. Weiditz likely based Morette’s likeness on Holbein’s portrait of the diplomat, (illustrated at right) now part of the Dresden State Art Collections.

The central image of a rider astride a galloping horse embodies a lover’s quest for the heart of his beloved, as conveyed by the inscription below, taken from a work by the Italian poet Francesco Petrarch (1304–1374). Unique in Holbein’s oeuvre, the painting may have been a personal emblem or part of a series of images celebrating the theme of love. The foliate patterns are related to those Holbein used in his designs for decorative metalwork and on the book-jewel drawings for the Wyatt family. The unknown patron of the painting was likely an English courtier devoted to Petrarch’s poetry, perhaps Thomas Wyatt or Henry Howard.