In sixteenth-century England, King Henry VIII hired the German artist Hans Holbein to be his court painter. Famous for marrying six wives, for defying the pope, and transforming England from a Catholic to a Protestant nation, Henry wanted his portraits to emphasize his wealth and power.
This oil painting shows Henry in all his finery, upright and self-confident. The king is barely contained by the space of the painting, which accentuates his massive proportions and conveys his commanding presence.
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