Accession No

0791

Brief Description

portrait miniature, purportedly of Nicholas Kratzer, attributed to Lucas Horenbout, formerly attributed to School of Hans Holbein the Younger, English, 1530 (c), or modern forgery?

Origin

England

Maker

Horenbout, Lucas [attributed] School of Hans Holbein [former attribution]

Class

astronomy; prints

Earliest Date

1530

Latest Date

1530

Inscription Date

Material

metal (gilt metal); glass; paper; stone (pearl); enamel; vellum

Dimensions

length 130mm; breadth 123mm; thickness 10mm

Special Collection

Robert Whipple collection

Provenance

Purchased by Robert Stewart Whipple from Antique Art Galleries, London, England, on 03/09/1935. Sold at auction by Christie’s on 24/06/1935. From the Pierpoint Morgan Collection.

Inscription

‘SCHOOL OF HANS HOLBEIN the Younger
Portrait of Nicholas Kratzer, born at Munich in 1487,
Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, in 1517, and
astronomer to King Henry VIII, died circa 1550. Holbein
painted a portrait of him, now in the Louvre
Nearly profile to the right, in brown fur cloak over a black
doublet, with white lawn collar, and black felt hat; a gold chain
around his neck. In his left hand he holds a brass armillary
sphere; blue background
Described and illustrated in
Dr. G.C. Williamson’s
Catalogue, Vol. I, No. 1’ (on paper stuck to back)

Description Notes

portrait of Nicholas Kratzer, school of Hans Holbein the Younger [or school of Horenbout?], English, c. 1530.

Ornate gilt metal frame, inset with pearls and red enamel, contains round miniature portrait of Kratzer, in gouache, on vellum. Blue background. Shows Kratzer nearly profile to the right, holding an armillary sphere. Armillary sphere is crudely drawn and shows ecliptic band in incorrect position.

Label pasted onto back of frame is taken from the sale catalogue.

Attributed in 1935 Christie’s catalogue to school of Hans Holbein the younger; more likely actually school of Lucas Horenbout.

Complete.

References

Boris Jardine; 'A miniature portrait of Nicholas Kratzer; the King's astronomer'; Explore Whipple Collections online article; Whipple Museum of the History of Science; University of Cambridge; 2017: https://www.whipplemuseum.cam.ac.uk/explore-whipple-collections/astronomy/kings-astronomer

Events