Framed Hand-Colored Print of King Henry VIII of England C.1750

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Introducing King Henry VIII of England, brought to life in a copper plate engraving by Jacobus Houbraken. He is part … Read more Introducing King Henry VIII of England, brought to life in a copper plate engraving by Jacobus Houbraken. He is part of a collection known as the Houbraken portraits. During his lifetime, Houbraken engraved over 400 portraits based on paintings by then contemporary Dutch painters. This one is after the famous Holbein portrait and is featured in the “The Heads of Illustrious Persons of Great Britain”. Little known is that the original portrait of Henry VIII is a lost work by Hans Holbein the Younger. Although destroyed by fire in 1698, the painting is still known to this day due to the the custom of emerging artists copying works by renowned painters. This iconic image of Henry VIII is considered one of the most famous portraits of any English or British monarch.

This framed print was printed in London by John and Paul Knapton in 1750 and exquisitely hand-colored. It is in pristine condition and preserved behind UV glass. The sheet size is approximately 9.5 x 14.75 inches (about 23 x 36 cm). The matting covers the edges a bit so it appear slightly smaller. Framed size is 20.5 inches x 15.3 inches.

I bought him for my father well over 20 years ago as many people remarked on my dad’s resemblance to the king when he was in his 30s and 40s… It was also a tribute to the Henry VIII pub where we spent so much time when living in Bermuda. My mother didn’t want to have any of the wives added to the wall as she figured one wife was enough! See less