Portraits of a King: Henry VIII

Posted January 16, 2016 4 Comments by Rebecca Larson

King Henry VIII ruled England from 1509 until 1547. Before, during and after his reign there were hundreds of portraits and sketches made of him. I’ve searched and searched for as many color portraits I could find. I know these aren’t ALL of them, but quite a few nonetheless. Sourcing these images was sometimes impossible, so our apologies on those that we could not properly source.

Please enjoy this post for what it is – images of one of the most well-known kings of England…Henry VIII. Take this as an opportunity to do more research on your own and see what you can learn about Henry.

Henry VIII, c1535, attributed to Joos van Cleve - painted during his brief marriage to his second wife, Anne Boleyn. The king is physically more attractive than in the later Holbein portraits. Henry holds a scroll inscribed 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature' (Mark 16.15). — c. 1535, Joos van Cleve

henry8holbein1 — c.1536; Holbein the Younger.

henry8afterholbein2 — Holbein the Younger ’36 NPG 157

henry8afterholbein4 — c.1540, Holbein the Younger.

henry8afterholbein1 (1) — c.1540,unknown

henry8afterholbein3 — c.1540, after Holbein the Younger

10-henry-viii-executions-1 — unknown artist

620-1882_henry_viii_1000px — unknown artist

Henry_VIII_(6)_by_Hans_Holbein_the_Younger — Royal Collection Trust

Henry_VIII_National_Maritime_Museum — National Maritime Museum

HenryVIII2_1389961f — After Hans Holbein the Younger

holbein_hans_ii-henry_viii-OMdc7300-10762_20090515_13311_82 — Holbein the Younger

King_Henry_VIII_by_Hans_Holbein_the_Younger — NPG 324

King_Henry_VIII_from_NPG_(4) — by Unknown �/ NPG 4980(14)

by Unknown artist, oil on panel, circa 1535-1540 / NPG 1376 — by unknown, c. 1535-40 / NPG 1376

by John Faber Jr, after Hans Holbein the Younger, mezzotint, early 18th century / NPG D24140 — by John Faber Jr / NPG D24140

by Unknown Anglo-Netherlandish artist, oil on panel, circa 1535-1540 / NPG 3638 — by unknown c. 1535-1540 / NPG 3638

by William Faithorne, line engraving, published 1672 — by William Faithorne

Attributed to British School, 18th century Henry VIII (1491-1547) 1700 - 1800 Watercolour on card — British School.�Royal Collection Trust

After Hans Holbein the Younger (1497/8-1543) Henry VIII (1491-1547) c.1538-47 Oil on panel — c.1538-47�Royal Collection Trust

After Hans Holbein the Younger (1497/8-1543) Henry VIII (1491-1547) c.1570-99 Oil on panel — (1497/8-1543)�Royal Collection Trust

Henry Bone (1755-1834) Henry VIII (1491-1547) Signed and dated 1826 Enamel on copper — By Henry Bone.Dated 1826

Henry VIII History Henry VIII Portraits

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4 Comments Leave a comment ›

Sandra
September 25, 2016 at 8:18 am Reply

I think he was a nice looking fellow when he was younger, shame he got so heavy in his older age! It didn’t help his health issues for sure!
Sandy
September 25, 2016 at 8:17 am Reply

I think he was a nice looking fellow when he was younger, shame he got so heavy in his older age! It didn’t help his health issues for sure!
Sandy
January 17, 2016 at 11:01 am Reply

There is a consistency in most of the portraits that show him as a rather large, forbidding image.
Kathleen McDonald
January 16, 2016 at 3:25 pm Reply

He must have been a handsome fellow when he was young. not so much as he got older. Too much to eat of everything I think.