Erasmus of Rotterdam
ca. 1532
Medium
Oil on linden panel
Dimensions
7 1/4 x 5 9/16 in. (18.4 x 14.2 cm); painted surface 6 15/16 x 5 1/2 in. (17.6 x 14 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.138
Tags
Art Historical Context
This intimate portrait of *Erasmus of Rotterdam* by Hans Hol the Younger, painted around 1532, captures the renowned Dutch philosopher and humanist scholar at a pivotal moment in European intellectual history. Erasmus, a leading voice of the Northern Renaissance, championed religious reform, classical learning, and tolerance amid the brewing Protestant Reformation. Holbein, a Basel-born master portraitist who later served Henry VIII's court, depicted his friend and patron with remarkable precision on a small linden wood panelmeasuring just 7¼ x 5⁹/₁₆ inches—making it ideal for private study or...