Tudor court painter’s cartoon lent by National Portrait Gallery ahead of its closure for revamp

This article is more than 6 months old

This article is more than 6 months old

A cartoon of Henry VIII by the Tudor court painter Hans Holbein the Younger has gone on rare display next to a painting that inspired it.

Holbein’s Henry VIII is a star of the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) while his painting The Ambassadors is a star of the National Gallery.

The planned three-year closure of the NPG for a major revamp means a number of important paintings will be lent to its next-door neighbour for display.

First up is the cartoon, one of the NPG’s most treasured works, which is a fragment of a preparatory drawing for a now lost group portrait of members of the Tudor royal family.

It was made in about 1537 and shows Henry VIII in typical swaggering pose while behind him is his long dead father, Henry VII. There would also have been his late mother, Elizabeth of York, and his wife Jane Seymour, who died that year after giving birth to their son, Edward.

The resulting painting was lost in 1698 when the royal palace of Whitehall was destroyed by a catastrophic fire, caused after linen sheets drying next to a charcoal brazier were left unattended.

The composition of the lost painting was inspired by Holbein’s 1533 portrait of two French ambassadors to Henry’s court, hence the reason for displaying them together.

The last time the two artworks were together was more than 20 years ago.

Gabriele Finaldi, director of the National Gallery, said the juxtaposition “provides a unique opportunity to see how Holbein fashioned portraits of power at the Tudor court.

“Never in England had propagandistic images been elaborated with such compelling force and such sublime artistry. They remain to our modern eyes extraordinarily impressive.”

Also on special display in the same room are Holbein’s paintings of Christina of Denmark, Erasmus and A Lady With a Squirrel and a Starling.

One consequence of the controversial decision by the NPG to close for so long is that hundreds of important paintings will be loaned to galleries across the UK.

Other portraits being loaned to the National Gallery include Sir Anthony van Dyck’s self-portrait, circa 1640; Johan Joseph Zoffany’s The Sharp Family, 1799-1781; Sir Henry Raeburn’s John Playfair, 1811; and Gwen John’s self-portrait, circa 1900.

• The free Holbein display is in room 2 of the National Gallery from 5 March