Public Works: King Henry VIII

IN 1537 Hans Holbein the Younger created one of the most successful propaganda images ever produced.

IN 1537 Hans Holbein the Younger created one of the most successful propaganda images ever produced, and thanks to his artistic genius, King Henry VIII has become one of the most recognisable monarchs in history.

Painted on the wall of the Royal Palace of Whitehall in London was a mural depicting Henry, his third wife, Jane Seymour, and the king's parents. It was a striking and self-assured image, one that proclaimed Henry's magnificence and asserted his claim to the throne of England.

The mural, which depicted how Henry wanted others to see him, was so successful it has become entrenched as the image by which we identify him. However, most people don't realise Holbein didn't depict a true likeness of the king.

The real Henry at that time was not a robust, middle-aged man at the height of his powers; rather he was severely obese and his legs were bandaged to cover open sores that oozed pus. And even though in the portrait he exudes self-confidence, he really had little reason to do so.

After nearly 30 years on the throne he had no male heir and had just had his second wife, Anne Boleyn, executed (he eventually married six times, beheading two of his wives). To obtain a divorce from his first wife he had cut ties with the Roman Catholic Church, dissolved the monasteries and proclaimed himself head of the Church of England. Many of his subjects were not in favour of these changes and considered him a tyrant.

According to British historian Derek Wilson, author of A Brief History of Henry VIII, Reformer and Tyrant, Holbein flattered his subject outrageously. "It is strange that we who are immune to the wiles of our own politicians and their image-makers should continue to be taken in by this piece of blatant propaganda," notes Wilson. "What we easily forget is that the need for leaders to project a favourable image is as old as politics itself."

Holbein's portrait of Henry was so impressive that numerous other artists copied it virtually without alteration. Wealthy courtiers wishing to curry favour had copies made to hang in their stately homes. Then in 1667, more than 100 years later, Flemish painter Remigius van Leemput made a copy of it for King Charles II, and just as well he did. In 1698 Holbein's mural was destroyed by a fire that damaged most of Whitehall Palace.

One copy of Henry's portrait, dated from around 1540, was painted during Holbein's lifetime by an unnamed artist. This painting, Henry VIII, is now in the collection of the Art Gallery of South Australia. Jane Messenger, curator of European art, says research into the gallery's portrait suggests there was "close proximity" between it and Holbein's original. "This portrait is believed to be a contemporary copy," Messenger says. "The theory is that it was an artist working within Holbein's studio, someone who was aware of the original and someone who Holbein knew, and of course this becomes almost like the official portrait of Henry VIIl." Adelaide's Holbeinesque portrait has, however, several notable differences compared to the Whitehall portrait: for instance, Henry's hanging medallion displays four jewels, not one.

Messenger says it is interesting to look at this work in terms of what Henry was trying to communicate through this painting. "You get the sense of an incredibly virile, powerful and dynamic man who is obviously incredibly wealthy. You get the sense of that through what he is wearing. Everything is covered with jewels and gold brocade. And the coat, trimmed and lined with ermine fur, projects a sense of wealth, which refers to the power of the monarchy at that time.

"It is such a famous and iconic image that it has transcended the centuries and it is the image we automatically think of when we think of Henry VIII."

Follower of Hans Holbein the Younger, King Henry VIII, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide. On display.