Portrait of Robert Cheseman ^Sale

Hans Holbein de Jonge (1533)

The Latin inscription makes it clear who this nobleman is: Robert Cheseman, 48 years old in 1533. Cheseman was grand falconer to the English king Henry VIII, an honorary position. With a tender gesture, he strokes the bird sitting on his hand. The German painter Hans Holbein created this masterpiece shortly after settling permanently in England. His astonishing painting technique is clearly visible, for example in the man's strained gaze, the shiny satin of his sleeves and in the copper bell.