Erasmus of Rotterdam

Hans Holbein the Younger

1523 · Oil on panel · National Gallery, London

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

📦 Free shipping on every order, arriving in 4–9 business days with production included. Express ($14.90) at checkout arrives in 4–6 business days.

Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Erasmus of Rotterdam

Portrait of Henry VIII

Christina of Denmark, Duchess of Milan

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

Choose different prints →

Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

Free shipping worldwide · arrives in 4–9 business days

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

Secure checkout via Stripe

About this work

Artist: Hans Holbein the Younger (1497–1543)
Year: 1523
Medium: Oil on panel
Original size: 73.6 × 51.4 cm
Collection: National Gallery, London (on loan from the Longford Castle collection)
Movement: Northern Renaissance

The humanist scholar Erasmus of Rotterdam stands half-length in a black cap and fur-lined coat, his hands resting on a book whose edge bears Greek and Latin words for the Herculean Labours of Erasmus; behind him rise a carved Renaissance pilaster, a green curtain and a shelf of books with a glass flask. Holbein painted the portrait in Basel in 1523, when both men lived there, and the museum notes that the setting is symbolic rather than real, the books and flask recalling Saint Jerome, the classical column Erasmus's love of ancient texts. Erasmus needed portraits to send to his patrons abroad, and in 1524 he sent this one to England as a gift for William Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury; Holbein followed with a recommendation from Erasmus in 1526 and later painted Warham. It is the largest and most elaborate of three portraits of Erasmus Holbein painted in 1523. Formerly at Longford Castle, Wiltshire, it is on long-term loan from the Longford Castle collection to the National Gallery, London.

This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

A scholar in black fur with his hands on a red book, a carved pilaster and green curtain behind, for a study, library or home office at 16×24 in black. A deep green, warm grey or oxblood wall; it pairs with Aristotle with a Bust of Homer.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Northern Renaissance painting
Era: 16th century (1523)
Orientation: Portrait
Mood: intimate
Rooms: study or library, home office, living room, dining room
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. We'd hang this one at 16×24. Prints at 12×18, 16×24 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway.

Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; natural wood lightens it.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Restored in-house from the original painting — cleaned and colour-trued at museum resolution • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24 in; every size also available framed • Framed option: wood frame in black or natural wood, 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front and no mat; the print is mounted inside and the frame's outside measures the listed size • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Printed after you order at the facility nearest you, then shipped. Standard delivery is free and takes 4–9 business days from order to door in the US, UK and EU (up to 10 elsewhere); Express takes 4–6 business days. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The image fills the print at the painting's own proportions; nothing is trimmed to fit a frame.

Is Erasmus in the public domain?

Yes. Hans Holbein the Younger (1497–1543) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by National Gallery.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18 and 16×24 inches; every size is also offered framed in black or natural wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Erasmus painted, and in what medium?

Erasmus dates from 1523 and was made in oil on panel; the original measures 73.6 × 51.4 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 16×24 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 12×18 suits a narrower wall or a pair. For Erasmus we'd choose 16×24.

About this design

Erasmus of Rotterdam (Hans Holbein the Younger) — Erasmus of Rotterdam · Hans Holbein the Younger · 1523. This is a fine-art reproduction of a public-domain masterwork, shown whole and uncropped on a gallery ground, printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or natural wood. Part of the Madten Fine Art Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in 4–9 business days.

Secure checkout. Payments handled by Stripe; we never see or store your card.

Also available as