Collection Online as of June 7, 2023

Sir Thomas More

follower of Hans Holbein the Younger

(German, active England and Switzerland, 1497/98–1543)

Oil on wood in a gilt wood frame

Framed: 8.6 x 8.6 x 1.3 cm (3 3/8 x 3 3/8 x 1/2 in.); Diameter: 6.5 cm (2 9/16 in.); Unframed: 6.7 x 6.4 cm (2 5/8 x 2 1/2 in.); Diameter of frame: 8 cm (3 1/8 in.)

The Edward B. Greene Collection 1957.356

Location

not on view

Description

One of the most original of Renaissance thinkers, an influential politician at the court of Henry VIII, and, since 1935, a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, Sir Thomas More also played an important role in the development of English portraiture through his patronage of Hans Holbein the Younger. Here More wears a so-called livery chain, a mark of his service to Henry VIII. He would eventually be beheaded in 1535, when he refused to support the king’s divorce and breach with the Catholic church. This miniature painted by a later follower of Holbein attests to the enduring resonance of More’s image and legacy.

Provenance

Private collection, New York, NY

[Rosenberg & Stiebel, Inc., New York, NY]

-1957

The Edward B. Greene Collection, gifted to the Cleveland Museum of Art

1957-

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Citations

The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 462 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 111 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 111 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 127 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Catalogue of Paintings, Part 3: European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. Mentioned: p. 172-173; Reproduced: p. 173

Exhibition history

The Scholar in Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art (April 19-28, 1968).

Master Goldsmiths of the Renaissance: Their Models and Designs. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 2, 1982-March 20, 1983).

Intimate Images: Portrait Miniatures from Europe and America. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 26-October 17, 1993).

Disembodied: Portrait Minatures and their Contemporary Relatives. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 10, 2013-February 16, 2014).

The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (co-organizer) (February 26-May 14, 2023).