Edward VI as a Child
probably 1538
Medium
oil on panel
Dimensions
overall: 56.8 x 44 cm (22 3/8 x 17 5/16 in.) framed: 80 x 68.6 x 10.2 cm (31 1/2 x 27 x 4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CNE-R
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Andrew W. Mellon Collection
Accession Number
1937.1.64
Art Historical Context
Hans Holbein the Younger painted this charming portrait of Edward VI around 1538, when the future king was just a year old. As court painter to Henry VIII, Holbein was renowned for his precise and lifelike depictions of Tudor royalty, and this small oil-on-panel work captures the young prince in a moment of innocence before he ascended the throne. The painting holds special historical value as one of the earliest known images of Edward, Henry’s long-awaited male heir. Created during a time of political uncertainty following the king’s marriages, it served both as a personal keepsake and a sym...