Portraits of a King: Henry VIII

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
Henry-VIII-by-A.F.-Pollard.jpg
Henry VIII
La Pensée Universitaire
Henry VIII
NPG D23869
Henry Vlll
c. 1509
Henry VIII
by Unknown NPG 4690
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
henry8barber
Barber Surgeons, 1540
henry8afterholbein4
c.1540, Holbein the Younger.
henry8afterholbein1 (1)
c.1540,unknown
henry8afterholbein3
c.1540, after Holbein the Younger
unknown artist c. 1542
unknown 1542
henry8eworth1
c. 1545, by Hans Eworth
by Cornelis Metsys  1545
10-henry-viii-executions-1
unknown artist

 

 

 

 

 

3262351-henry+vlll
38608854
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
henry8parham
artist unknown
HenryVIII2_1389961f
After Hans Holbein the Younger
circa 1520; English School
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
This portrait of Henry VIII is an early derivation of Holbein's original portrait of the King, painted in 1537 on the wall of the Privy Chamber at Whitehall (see RCIN 405750). It was probably painted later in the sixteenth century. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2014
painted in 1537. Royal Collection Trust
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

4 thoughts

  1. 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!

    Reply

  2. 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!

    Reply

  4. 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.

    Reply

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