Tantalus

31 May 1533

Street Decoration for Anne Boleyn's Coronation Procession

Commissioned by the merchants of the Steelyard, he created the street tableau Mount Parnassus for the procession on the eve of Anne Boleyn's coronation on May 31, 1533.

1535

Court Painter to Henry VIII

He became court painter to King Henry VIII: he painted portraits, designed court festivities, and produced designs for fountains, stained glass, jewelry, and objects for the royal household. By 1536 he was receiving an annual salary of thirty pounds.

1538

Journey to Brussels: Portrait of Christina of Denmark

He traveled with Philip Hoby to Brussels to sketch Christina of Denmark for Henry VIII, who was considering the young widow as a possible bride; the sitting took three hours.

1538

Journey to France and Visit to Basel

In the same year he traveled with Hoby to France to portray Louise de Guise and Anne of Lorraine for Henry VIII (the portraits have not survived), visited Basel, where the authorities honored him and granted him a pension, and in Paris apprenticed his son Philipp to the goldsmith Jacob David.

1540

Execution of Thomas Cromwell: A Blow to His Career

Cromwell's sudden arrest and execution on fabricated charges of heresy and treason damaged Holbein's career: he retained his position as King's Painter, but the death of his patron left a gap that could not be filled.