King Henry VIII; King Henry VII
- Artist: Hans Holbein the Younger
- Date: circa 1536-1537
- Medium: ink and watercolour
- Dimensions: 101 1/2 in. x 54 in. (2578 mm x 1372 mm)
- Portrays: King Henry VII, King Henry VIII
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
Before you is a large preparatory drawing by Hans Holbein the Younger, made in ink and watercolour around 1536‑37 for a grand wall painting in Whitehall Palace. The canvas shows Henry VIII standing beside his father, Henry VII, their faces cut out of paper and pasted onto an architectural background. Holbein traced the outlines with tiny holes—pricking—and then “pounded” charcoal dust through them to transfer the design onto the wall, a technique known as pouncing.
You can see the delicate strokes that give the kings their solemn gaze: Henry VIII’s head turned to meet the viewer, while his father stands in profile. The left‑hand side of this mural is all that remains; the right‑hand half, which would have shown Jane Seymour and Elizabeth of York, was lost in a fire in 1698.
This drawing survives as a record of Holbein’s design for the original wall painting, now held in the National Portrait Gallery.
See it in person
King Henry VIII; King Henry VII is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
