ドイツのアウクスブルクで画家の家に生まれ、スイスのバーゼルで活躍しました。学者エラスムスの紹介でイギリスへわたり、のちに国王ヘンリー8世の宮廷画家になります。服の生地や宝石、顔のしわまで正確に描いた肖像画で知られ、代表作は「大使たち」です。私たちがよく知る、どっしりしたヘンリー8世の姿は、ホルバインの絵がもとになっています。
Holbein was born into a family of painters in Augsburg, Germany, and worked in Basel, Switzerland. With help from the scholar Erasmus, he went to England. Later he became court painter to King Henry VIII. His portraits show fabric, jewels and even wrinkles with great accuracy. His most famous work is The Ambassadors. The well-known image of a broad, powerful Henry VIII comes from Holbein's paintings.
