If we cannot say with any certainty why Holbein came to England, we may
at least presume that Sir Thomas More was his earliest patron in these
islands, and his famous "Household of Sir Thomas More" would seem to
have been the first intimation to a considerable section of English art
lovers that a new light had arisen. It was of course most fortunate for
the painter that he could command the attention of the highest in the
land with his first serious effort, for the future was at once assured;
and if it was well for the painter, it is better still for us. How many
notable men has he rescued from the comparative oblivion of the printed
record? In how many cases has he helped us to correct or justify the
impressions of the historian? The human face tells its own story, and,
when it is set down by a master-hand, we know something at least of
the brain that worked behind it. Holbein was a realist. It was no part
of his artistic intention to make a portrait a mere beautiful picture,
to treat his subject pictorially in fashion that would flatter a sitter's
vanity. Perhaps he had not the dangerous quality of imagination that would
make such a procedure possible. He saw clearly, fully, dispassionately,
and set down on paper or canvas just what he had seen--neither more
nor less. Even the Renaissance decorations that had delighted him as a
boy were laid aside long before he came from Basle to London, and such
mere cleverness as he permitted himself was done obviously enough to
attract custom, and was to be seen in the skilful composition of his
portrait groups. He was a hard-headed, serious artist, and appealed to
a singularly level-headed generation, that had not been educated up
or down to the special genius of the Renaissance portrait painters of
Italy. For in spite of the exquisite and well-nigh inimitable quality
of the Italian masters, their work would have seemed rather exotic in
our colder clime. Moreover, the days of revolt against the spirit that
so many of them expressed were upon the land.
We cannot say with any certainty when or why Holbein decided to try
his fortune in England. It is likely that one of the English noblemen
travelling on the Continent, the Earl of Surrey or the Earl of Arundel,
was the first to advise him to visit this island; and when the troubles
that beset art in Basle made a change imperative, the painter applied to
Erasmus for introductions and received one to Sir Thomas More, to whom he
was advised to take one of his portraits of Erasmus as a sample of his
talent. Apparently the good folks of Basle were a little startled, and
even vexed, to find that their premier artist was leaving them. They are
said to have put obstacles in the way of his departure, but he would not
be denied. Holbein travelled by way of Antwerp, attracted by the works
of Quentin Matsys, and in 1526 he reached London, presented himself
to the Chancellor, and made such a favourable impression that he was
received forthwith and installed in his home at Chelsea. His gratitude
was expressed quickly and significantly. Sir Thomas himself was the first
in the long roll of distinguished men who have perhaps obtained a larger
measure of immortality from Holbein's brush than from the work of their
own hands.
But for Erasmus and Lord Surrey, the painter might have languished for
lack of opportunity to show his powers. He might even have returned to
the Continent, where his varied gifts commanded a certain market, and in
that case the long roll of Tudor worthies would not have been preserved
to us, and the bright light that he has thrown upon a fascinating period
of our history would have been lost. But the Chancellor himself, apparently
no mean judge of good work, moved in the centre of the most select
and refined circle in Christendom, and as soon as he had expressed
his satisfaction with the painter's work there was no lack of
sitters. Perhaps an artist would say that the quality of the sitter's
face does not matter, and that personality is of small account, but
from the layman's point of view this is not the case. The born ruler, the
administrator, scholar, soldier, poet, must be more interesting to most of
us than the person whose only qualification for an appearance on canvas
is the capacity to pay for it. Holbein's sitters were worthy of his
brush, and between 1526 and 1529 the artist made an enduring reputation
in London, where, according to some at least of his chroniclers, he
came under the notice of King Henry, although he does not appear to
have done any work for him on the occasion of his first visit.
The sojourn of nearly three years completed, the painter returned to
his home in Basle, and occupied himself in that city until 1531. He
would seem to have made up his mind to try the Continent again before
yielding to the invitations he had received in England. Then again he
had domestic affairs to settle, and they were not of the easiest, for
his wife had certain good reasons to feel aggrieved, and Holbein did
not regard constancy as one of the indispensable conditions of married
life. In order that he might not be troubled overmuch on his return to
our shores, he decided to leave his wife and family in Basle, where he
left provision for all their wants. He never failed to look after his
children and do his best for them. In days when there was neither regular
postal service nor telegrams nor newspapers, he could live his own life
without fear of any remonstrances; and we know enough of his progress
in these islands to be satisfied that, had he brought his wife over,
she would have had sound and sufficient reason to complain. The
religious squabbles in Basle would seem to have made it hard for
any artist to earn a living, and between the dates of his return and
his second visit to this country he found little work for his brush.
Happily he was equipped in every branch, and as his work as a painter
was not in great demand, he went to the gold workers and the printers,
and did not go to them in vain. They were happy enough to employ him,
and work that he executed at this period of his career is one of the
prizes of the collector and the connoisseur.