Erasmus
1523 · Oil on panel · National Gallery, London
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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 full-bleed edition prints the work edge to edge from a high-resolution scan of the original, very slightly cropped (a few percent at most) to fit the sheet. The gallery edition shows the whole work, uncropped. 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. Printed edge to edge: a slim black or natural wood frame right to the image, or let the canvas wrap do the framing. Also available gallery-wrapped on canvas, ready to hang with no frame.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Erasmus in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Erasmus painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
