Edward VI as a Child
Shown from the waist up, a pale-skinned, round-cheeked young boy wears a brocade red and gold garment and hat in this vertical portrait painting. The boy’s body is angled to our left, but he turns his face toward us as he looks slightly down with gray eyes. He has a square face with a high forehead, faint brows, a small, rounded nose, bow-shaped pink lips, and a pointed chin. A fringe of pale blond hair lines the top of his head under a gold cap that ties under his chin. A white feather drops off the edge of a red disk around the top of the hat. His brilliant red garment is lined with gold bands, and the sleeves split over voluminous gold sleeves, which are lined with white ruffles at the wrists. The boy is behind a ledge draped with a crinkled, emerald-green cloth. He rests one hand on the ledge and holds a gold orb on a stick in that hand. His other hand hovers over the ledge with the palm facing out. The background is late gray. A strip of paper affixed to the front face of the ledge has eight lines of Latin text in all caps. It reads, “PARVVLE PATRISSA, PATRIÆ VIRTVTIS ET HÆRES ESTO, NIHIL MAIVS MAXIMVS ORBIS HABET. GNATVM VIX POSSVNT COELVM ET NATVRA DEDISSE, HVIVS QVEM PATRIS, VICTVS HONORET HONOS. ÆQVATO TANTVM, TANTI TV FACTA PARENTIS, VOTA HOMINVM, VIX QVO PROGREDIANTVR, HABENT VINCITO, VICISTI. QVOT REGES PRISCVS ADORAT ORBIS, NEC TE QVI VINCERE POSSIT, ERIT. Ricard: Morysini. Car:”
Details
- Palette
-
Select a color to find related artworks.
- Medium
- oil on panel
- Dimensions
- overall: 56.8 x 44 cm (22 3/8 x 17 5/16 in.) framed: 80 x 68.6 x 10.2 cm (31 1/2 x 27 x 4 in.)
- Department
- CNE-R
- Holding institution
- National Gallery of Art
- Image provider
- national-gallery-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Andrew W. Mellon Collection
Art Genome Taxonomy
11 tags
Subject Matter
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Childhood Both · 100%
The title identifies Edward VI as a child, and the image clearly depicts a young boy.
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Individual Portrait Both · 100%
The composition centers on one identifiable sitter in a formal portrait format.
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Face Visual · 99%
The sitter’s face is the dominant focal point, rendered with carefully modeled eyes, brows, nose, lips, cheeks, and chin.
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Royalty and Aristocracy Metadata · 96%
The identified sitter is Edward VI, and the formal costume, orb, and presentation are consistent with a royal court portrait.
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Text Both · 100%
A large paper panel with multiple lines of Latin capital lettering is clearly visible at the bottom of the composition, and the catalog transcribes the inscription.
Visual Qualities
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Highly Ornamented Visual · 99%
The costume, cap, feather, ruffs, jewelry-like trim, orb, and green drapery create a richly decorated surface.
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Bright and Vivid Colors Visual · 97%
Strong red, gold, white, and emerald-green passages contrast with the subdued background.
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Patterns Visual · 96%
The garment and cap contain repeated decorative motifs, embroidered lines, and patterned gold surfaces.
Medium and Techniques
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Oil Painting Metadata · 100%
The National Gallery of Art classifies the work as a painting and documents its medium as oil on panel.
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Oil on Panel Metadata · 100%
The catalog explicitly specifies the support and medium as oil on panel.
Time Periods
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16th Century Art Metadata · 99%
The catalog dates the work to probably 1538, placing it in the sixteenth century.
Source & rights
Hans Holbein the Younger. Edward VI as a Child. Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington.