Description
Several versions of the portrait exist, but this is undoubtedly the original.
When this portrait was painted in 1527, More held the position of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He had been knighted in 1521. It is not known whether the gold chain of office made of S-links was awarded to him on this occasion or earlier, in 1517, when he first entered the king's service.
The chain indicates the voluntary submission of the wearer. It is typical of Holbein's method that the composition of the half-length figure repeats the proven composition of the images of Venus and Lais. The colors used in More's portrait, however, give the composition an entirely different vibe.
The fine drawings made before the painting show a new delicacy of tact which prevails in the artist's manner after his visit to France; The pictorial consequence was a greater attention to the texture of the material, the skin and the velvet. The appearance of complementary red and green hues to emphasize spatial values is obvious, but it is simpler here than its use in Holbein's second period English.
Holbein's sympathy for the man whose guest he was when he first arrived in England is evident in Frick's portrait. His brilliant rendition of rich fabrics and embellishments make this one of Holbein's best and most popular paintings.