The King's Painter cover art

The King's Painter

The Life and Times of Hans Holbein

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The King's Painter

By: Franny Moyle
Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
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About this listen

A BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week.

Hans Holbein the Younger is chiefly celebrated for his beautiful and precisely realised portraiture, which includes representations of Henry VIII, Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Anne of Cleves, Jane Seymour and an array of the Tudor lords and ladies he encountered during the course of two sojourns in England. But beyond these familiar images, which have come to define our perception of the world of the Henrician court, Holbein was a protean and multi-faceted genius: a humanist, satirist, political propagandist and contributor to the history of book design as well as a religious artist and court painter. The rich layers of symbolism and allusion that characterise his work have proved especially fascinating to scholars.

Franny Moyle traces and analyses the life and work of an extraordinary artist against the backdrop of an era of political turbulence and cultural transformation, to which his art offers a subtle and endlessly refracting mirror.

©2021 Franny Moyle (P)2022 W F Howes Art Art & Literature Artists, Architects & Photographers Europe Great Britain Renaissance Tudor

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Critic reviews

"A great thrusting codpiece of a book. It is big, bombastic and richly brocaded.... A jewel in its own right." (The Times)

"Evokes the painter and his world as vividly as a Holbein masterpiece. Beautifully written and illustrated, this book is a must for lovers of Tudor history." (Tracy Borman)

"Full of insight.... This is a gorgeous book, to which I am sure I shall return again and again." (Dan Jones)

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I have throughly enjoyed this book . As an ex art student I have always loved the iconography of a painting , and the descriptions portrayed here have been just wonderful . Add to that the fascinating story of Holbeins life and career this has been that rare book that I didn’t want to end

Master artist

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This book gives an outstanding overview of Holbein’s life and artistic achievements. The author is obviously extremely knowledgeable but her writing never gets tedious. On the contrary she keeps the narrative flowing and informative. Not only have I learned so much about Holbein’s work but have also had new insights into the Tudor court of Henry VIII.
The narrator was excellent. Just right for the content of the book.

Fascinating account of Holbein, brilliantly read.

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Who doesn't look at a Holbein painting without being intrigued in the sitter and the artist?

I read Franny Moyle's book on Turner which I thoroughly enjoyed, so had high hopes for this one and it didn't disappoint!

Here is Holbein's life set in the time of one of the biggest upheavals in European culture - The Reformation. Populated with a cast of some of the biggest players in this upheaval, this book is interesting to lovers of history and art alike.

I enjoyed every second. Barnaby Edwards is a pleasure to listen to.

Fascinating insight into the man and his art

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Excellent detail on Tudor London and Henry 8th. Makes you feel like you are there living among them

Great history book

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