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(b. 1497, Augsburg, d. 1543, London)

Portrait of Erasmus of Rotterdam 1523 Wood, 76 x 51 cm National Gallery, London

Of Holbein's portraits of Erasmus, this is the most ostentatious, and not just because it is much larger. The background of the interior is furnished with a splendidly decorated pilaster and a shelf with books and a glass carafe, all of which help to ennoble the sitter. On the edge of the book reclining on the shelf is a Latin couplet composed by Erasmus, which asserts that Holbein would sooner have a slanderer than an imitator. That seems to mean that his outstanding art could scarcely be imitated and therefore criticism from the envious is more likely than imitation.

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Author: HOLBEIN, Hans the Younger Title: Portrait of Erasmus of Rotterdam Time-line: 1501-1550 School: German Form: painting