This painting provides the only record of the whole of Holbein’s wall painting for the Privy Chamber of Whitehall Palace, destroyed when the Palace burned down in 1698. It includes the date 1537, and the Latin inscription on the stone tablet in the centre debates whether the achievements of Henry VII or Henry VIII were greater. This underlines the dynastic intentions of the composition, a celebration of the achievements of the Tudors.

The painting reveals that in Holbein’s original wall painting Henry VIII was shown full face, rather than in the three quarter face view of the cartoon.

Only the left-hand portion survives of this preparatory cartoon, made by Holbein for his lost wall-painting in the Privy Chamber at Whitehall Palace. It was assembled from twenty five pieces of paper, and the figures were cut out and applied separately.

Tiny pricked holes are still clearly visible around the outlines of the drawing, for instance around the foot. Charcoal dust could be shaken through the holes to create the outlines of the drawing on the wall. However, since the cartoon shows no traces of charcoal dust in these holes, the pricking was presumably the means of creating a second pattern which was used instead.

Henry is dressed in magnificent cloth of silver and of gold, his shirt collar embroidered with gold thread. Holbein used powdered gold in his paint and for the background the expensive ultramarine pigment more usually seen in the background of his miniature portraits: this small image was clearly intended to be handled and gazed at closely as they were.

The function of the portrait is unknown; similarities to portraits of Francis I have suggested it might have been sent as a reciprocal gift to the King of France.

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Jane Seymour (1508/9–1537) married King Henry VIII as his third wife on 30 May 1536. She died on 24 October 1537, twelve days after giving birth to Edward, Prince of Wales.

Jane Seymour is shown in the three-quarter view image of Holbein’s portrait drawing (shown nearby), which it matches precisely in size. Her clothes and jewellery, however, differ from the drawing; here she wears a necklace of both pearls and precious stones, and her undersleeves are of looped metallic pile created by painting over silver leaf, rather than the pleated version seen in the drawing.

The function of this portrait is unknown.

This drawing established the basis for portraits in which the Queen wore variants of the dress and jewellery shown here. In the Whitehall wall painting she is shown at full length and in a richer costume: the image must have been enlarged to match the scale of the cartoon of Henry (shown nearby).

The drawing is worn and has been extensively traced over with metalpoint as part of the process of transferring its outlines; the folds perhaps indicate the extent of different versions of the portrait. The sheet has been slightly extended to include the hand.

Henry VIII’s sole male heir Edward, Prince of Wales (1537–53) was born on 12 October 1537 to his third wife Jane Seymour. This painting is evidently the portrait that Holbein gave King Henry VIII at New Year 1539.

The inscription was composed by Richard Moryson, a humanist writer in the service of Thomas Cromwell. Image and inscription flatter Henry VIII; just as the text urges the infant prince to imitate his father, so Holbein shows him as an adult monarch, his rattle held like a sceptre, a courtly joke.

The background to the portrait was originally blue, but the pigment used has discoloured.

This now faint drawing records a sitting with the very young prince Edward, who is unlikely to have remained still for a sufficiently long period for Holbein to record his features in great detail.

The face of the drawing is slightly smaller in all its dimensions than that of the painted portrait it resembles. Holbein perhaps made use of a second, intermediary pattern drawing which included the enlarged facial contours to transfer the outlines of the features to his panel, finally adjusting the position of the features during the preparation for painting.

The background to the portrait was originally blue, but the pigment used has discoloured.

The identity of Prince Edward can be established by comparison with his painted portrait (shown nearby), although he appears younger here, barely sitting on a cushion. On the right is a pet dog on a lead. Surrounding him are oak leaves and acorns, a symbol of renewal, suggesting Edward’s significance in the perpetuation of the Tudor lineage.

This drawing with its precise outlines and roundel format was probably intended to be engraved onto precious metal or stone.