Editing Hans Holbein the Younger (section)

=== Early career ===
[[File:Ambrosius and Hans Holbein, by Hans Holbein the Elder.jpg|thumb|Hans (right) and [[Ambrosius Holbein]], by [[Hans Holbein the Elder]], 1511. [[Silverpoint]] on white-coated paper, [[Berlin State Museums]]]]
[[File:Wohnhaus 1528 und 1531 von Hans Holbein dem Jüngeren (1497-98–1543) St-Johanns-Vorstadt 22 in Basel.jpg|thumb|Hans Holbein's home during his time in [[Basel]], Switzerland]]

Holbein was born in the [[free imperial city]] of [[Augsburg]] during the winter of 1497–98.<ref>Ganz, 1; Wilson, 3. The date is deduced from the age noted by Holbein's father on the portrait of his sons.</ref> He was a son of the painter and draughtsman [[Hans Holbein the Elder]], whose trade he and his older brother, [[Ambrosius Holbein|Ambrosius]], followed. Holbein the Elder ran a large and busy workshop in Augsburg, sometimes assisted by his brother Sigmund, also a painter.<ref>Müller, ''et al.'', 6.</ref>

By 1515, Hans and Ambrosius had moved as journeymen painters to the city of [[Basel]], a centre of learning and the printing trade.<ref>Bätschmann & Griener, 104. Basel had allied itself in 1501 with the [[Old Swiss Confederacy|Swiss Confederates]], a group of [[Cantons of Switzerland|cantons]] that had broken free of imperial rule. Many Basel citizens, however, remained proud of their imperial connections: the Madonna that Holbein painted for Jakob Meyer, for example, wears the imperial crown.</ref> There they were apprenticed to Hans Herbster, Basel's leading painter.<ref>North, 13–14; Bätschmann and Griener, 11; Claussen, 47. Hans Holbein the Elder and his brother Sigmund also moved away from Augsburg at about this time, but the reasons for the Holbein family's disappointment in the city is not known.</ref> The brothers found work in Basel as designers of [[woodcut]]s and [[metalcut]]s for printers.<ref>Sander, 14.</ref> In 1515, the preacher and theologian [[Oswald Myconius]] invited them to add pen drawings to the margin of a copy of ''[[The Praise of Folly]]'' by the [[humanist]] scholar [[Desiderius Erasmus]] of [[Rotterdam]].<ref>Zwingenberger, 13; Wilson, 30, 37–42. For example: [[:File:A Scholar Treads on a Market Woman's Basket of Eggs, marginal drawing by Hans Holbein the Younger.jpg|''A Scholar Treads on a Basket of Eggs'']] and [[:File:Folly Steps Down from the Pulpit, marginal drawing by Hans Holbein the Younger.jpg|''Folly Steps Down from the Pulpit'']].</ref> The sketches provide early evidence of Holbein's wit and humanistic leaning. His other early works, including the double portrait of Basel's mayor [[Jakob Meyer zum Hasen]] and his wife [[:File:Dorothea Meyer, by Hans Holbein the Younger.jpg|Dorothea]], follow his father's style.<ref>Sander, 15. See: [[:File:Hans Holbein d. J. 009.jpg|''Portrait of Jakob Meyer'']] and [[:File:Hans Holbein d. J. 008.jpg|''Portrait of Dorothea Meyer'']].</ref> With Meyer zum Hasen, Holbein maintained a close working relationship until the latter was sacked in 1521.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Stein|first=Wilhelm|title=Holbein der Jüngere|publisher=Julius Bard Verlag|year=1920|location=Berlin|pages=29}}</ref> 

The young Holbein, alongside his brother and his father, is pictured in the left-hand panel of Holbein the Elder's 1504 altar piece [[triptych]] the ''Basilica of St. Paul'', which is displayed at the Staatsgalerie in Augsburg.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02h9c5v/p02h9bfz|title=BBC – Basilica of St Paul by Holbein the Elder – BBC Arts – Paintings featured in Holbein: Eye of the Tudors|website=BBC}}</ref>
[[File:Detail of Holbein the Elder's 1504 altar-piece triptych the Basilica of St. Paul.jpg|thumb|A detail of Hans Holbein the Elder's 1504 altar-piece triptych ''Basilica of St. Paul'', showing portraits of the artist and his two sons Hans (left) and Ambrosius (right)]]
[[File:HolbeinErasmusFollymarginalia.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Hans Holbein's marginal drawing of Folly (1515), in the first edition, a copy owned by Erasmus himself (Kupferstichkabinett, Basel)]]
In 1517, father and son began a project in [[Lucerne]] (Luzern), painting internal and external murals for the merchant Jakob von Hertenstein.<ref>See [[:File:Leaina Before the Judges, by Hans Holbein the Younger.jpg|'' Leaina Before the Judges'']], a design for a Hertenstein mural.</ref> While in Lucerne, Holbein also designed cartoons for [[stained glass]].<ref>Bätschmann and Griener, 11; North, 13. For example: [[:File:Design for a Stained Glass Window with the Coronation of the Virgin, by Hans Holbein the Younger.jpg|''Design for a Stained Glass Window with the Coronation of the Virgin'']].</ref> The city's records show that on 10 December 1517, he was fined five livres for fighting in the street with a goldsmith called Caspar, who was fined the same amount.<ref>Rowlands, 25; North, 13. On another occasion, Holbein was fined for his involvement in a knife fight.</ref> That winter, Holbein probably visited northern Italy, though no record of the trip survives. Many scholars believe he studied the work of Italian masters of [[fresco]], such as [[Andrea Mantegna]], before returning to Lucerne.<ref>Wilson, 53–60; Buck, 20; Bätschmann and Griener, 148; Claussen, 48, 50. Doubt has been cast on the tradition that Holbein visited Italy since artists' biographer [[Karel van Mander]] (1548–1606) stated that Holbein never went there. It has been argued by Peter Claussen, for example, that Italian motifs in Holbein's work might have derived from engravings, sculptures, and artworks seen in Augsburg. On the other hand, Bätschmann and Griener quote a document of 1538 in which the Basel authorities gave Holbein permission to sell his work in "France, England, Milan or in the Netherlands" as support for the view that he had travelled to Milan since he is known to have travelled to the other three places named.</ref> He filled two series of panels at Hertenstein's house with copies of works by [[Andrea Mantegna]], including ''[[The Triumphs of Caesar]]''.<ref>Bätschmann & Griener, 68. Holbein worked from prints, but Bätschmann & Griener argue that Hertenstein, who presumably requested these copies, might have sent the artist to Italy to view the originals himself.</ref>

[[File:Holbein-erasmus.jpg|thumb|upright|''Portrait of [[Desiderius Erasmus|Erasmus of Rotterdam]]'', 1523. Oil and [[tempera]] on wood, [[National Gallery, London]], on loan from [[Longford Castle]]]]

In 1519, Holbein moved back to Basel. His brother fades from the record at about this time, and it is usually presumed that he died.<ref>Müller, ''et al.'', 11, 47; Wilson, 69–70. Wilson cautions against too readily accepting that Ambrosius died, since other explanations for his disappearance from the record are possible. However, only Hans Holbein claimed their father's estate when he died in 1524.</ref> Holbein re-established himself rapidly in the city, running a busy workshop. He joined the [[painters' guild]] and took out Basel citizenship.<ref>Müller, Christian (2006), pp.194–195</ref> He married Elsbeth Binsenstock-Schmid 1519,<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=Die Malerfamilie in Basel|year=1960|location=Basel|pages=210|language=de}}</ref> a widow a few years older than he was, who had an infant son, Franz, and was running her late husband's [[Tanning (leather)|tanning]] business. She bore Holbein a son of his own, Philipp, in their first year of marriage<ref>Wilson, 70.</ref> a girl called Katharina in 1526 and two more children, Jacob and Küngold in later years.<ref name=":2" /> 

Holbein was prolific during this period in Basel, which coincided with the arrival of [[Lutheran]]ism in the city.<ref>North, 17. Lutheran Protestantism was introduced in Basel in 1522. After 1529, the ideas of [[Huldrych Zwingli]] (1484–1531) became widely accepted there, through the preaching of [[Johannes Oecolampadius]] (1482–1531).</ref> He undertook a number of major projects, such as external murals for ''The House of the Dance'' and internal murals for the Council Chamber of the [[Basel Town Hall|Town Hall]]. The former are known from preparatory drawings.<ref>For example: [[:File:Design for façade paintings for the House of the Dance, by Hans Holbein the Younger.jpg|''Design for façade painting for the House of the Dance'']]</ref> The Council Chamber murals survive in a few poorly preserved fragments.<ref>Rowlands, 53–54; Bätschmann & Griener, 64. See: [[:File:Samuel Cursing Saul, by Hans Holbein the Younger.jpg|''Samuel Cursing Saul'']], and [[:File:The Humiliation of Emperor Valerian by Shapur, King of Persia, by Hans Holbein the Younger.jpg|''The Humiliation of Emperor Valentinian by Shapur, King of Persia'']] (designs for the Council Chamber murals), and [[:File:Rehoboam. Fragment of Wall Painting from Basel Town Hall Council Chamber, by Hans Holbein the Younger..jpg|''Rehoboam'', a fragment of the Council Chamber murals]].</ref> Holbein also produced a series of religious paintings and designed cartoons for [[stained glass]] windows.<ref>For example: [[:File:Stained Glass Window Designs for the Passion of Christ, by Hans Holbein the Younger.jpg|''Stained Glass Window Designs for the Passion of Christ'']].</ref>

In a period of a revolution in book design, he illustrated for the publisher [[Johann Froben]]. His [[woodcut]] designs included those for the ''Dance of Death'',<ref>[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Danse_Macabre_(Holbein) ''Dance of Death'' woodcuts].</ref> cut by the [[formschneider]] [[Hans Lützelburger]]<ref name=":1">Stein, Wilhelm (1920), p.108</ref> the ''Icones'' (illustrations of the [[Old Testament]]),<ref>[[:File:Icones, Old Testament Illustrations, by Hans Holbein the Younger.jpg|Six of the ''Icones'' woodcuts.]]</ref> and the title page of [[Martin Luther]]'s [[Luther Bible|bible]].<ref>Strong,3; Wilson, 114–15; Müller, ''et al'', 442–45. [[:File:Luther bible, by HH.jpg|''Title Sheet of Adam Petri's Reprint of Luther's Translation of the New Testament.'']]</ref> Additionally he designed twelve [[alphabet]]s, of those a [[Greek alphabet|Greek]] and [[Latin alphabet|Latin]] for Froben.<ref name=":1" /> The letters were ornamented with depictions of [[List of Greek deities|Greek]] and [[List of Roman deities|Roman]] gods, heads of [[Caesar (title)|Caesars]], poets and philosophers.<ref>tein, Wilhelm (1920), pp.108–110</ref> Through the woodcut medium, Holbein refined his grasp of expressive and spatial effects.<ref>Bätschmann & Griener, 63.</ref> 

Holbein also painted the occasional portrait in Basel, among them the [[Double Portrait of Jakob Meyer zum Hasen and Dorothea Kannengießer|double portrait of Jakob and Dorothea Meyer]], and, in 1519, that of the young academic [[Bonifacius Amerbach]]. According to art historian Paul Ganz, the [[Portrait of Bonifacius Amerbach|portrait of Amerbach]] marks an advance in his style, notably in the use of unbroken colours.<ref>Ganz, 9.</ref> For Meyer, he painted an altarpiece of the Madonna which included [[donor portrait|portraits of the donor]], his wife, and his daughter.<ref>Ganz, 9. He later added the portrait of Meyer's first wife, after he returned from his first visit to London, by which time the demand for devotional art had largely dried up.</ref> In 1523, Holbein painted his first portraits of the great Renaissance scholar Erasmus, who required likenesses to send to his friends and admirers throughout Europe.<ref>Strong, 3; Rowlands, 56–59. Many copies of Holbein's portraits of Erasmus exist, but it is not always certain whether they were produced by the artist or by his studio.</ref> These paintings made Holbein an international artist. Holbein visited France in 1524, probably to seek work at the court of [[Francis I of France|Francis I]].<ref>Bätschmann and Griener, 11; Müller, ''et al.'', 12, 16, 48–49, 66.</ref> When Holbein decided to seek employment in England in 1526, Erasmus recommended him to his friend the statesman and scholar [[Thomas More]].<ref>"For a generation or more popular and establishment piety had led to the adornment and embellishment of churches, chapels, and cathedrals. Now there were different religious priorities and the overswelled ranks of the artists' guilds were feeling the pinch." Wilson, 116.</ref> "The arts are freezing in this part of the world," he wrote, "and he is on the way to England to pick up some angels".<ref>Letter to [[Pieter Gillis]] (Petrus Aegidius), August 1526. Quoted by Wilson, 120. An [[Angel (coin)|angel]] was an English coin.</ref>