Students will examine the artistic characteristics of Edward, Prince of Wales; explain how certain features of the painting indicate that this is a portrait of a royal individual; and create a portrait of someone they know or of themselves as a royal figure, including appropriate elements and details.
Students will be able to:
- examine the artistic characteristics of Edward, Prince of Wales;
- explain how certain features of Edward, Prince of Wales indicate that this is a portrait of a royal individual; and
- create a portrait of someone they know or of themselves as a royal figure, including appropriate elements and details.
Lesson
1. Warm-up: Display Edward, Prince of Wales to the class. Invite the students to look carefully and share what they observe. What do they notice about the painting? How would they describe his clothing? What do the students think the boy’s clothing tells us about him? How would they describe his posture and expression? How old do they think the boy in this painting is? What other clues do they notice about the boy? Who might the young boy in this painting be?
2. Share with students that Edward, Prince of Wales was created by Hans Holbein the Younger and Studio in 1538.
3. Ask students to look at the painting again and try to pose like Prince Edward, and then ask them to pose like an elementary school student. Ask students: Are these two poses different? How? Why do you think the artist chose to pose this toddler as he did? What does this tell you about the expectations that the community had for this toddler? (The following information is from the “Details” section of About the Art):
Prince Edward sits up straight, looking down slightly at the viewer, and holds his hand up in an intelligent gesture of speaking, of benediction, or perhaps acknowledging the cheers of his adoring subjects. The young boy has a golden rattle in his left hand, like the scepter he’s expected to hold one day. Prince Edward is dressed is a very formal outfit and is wearing a red velvet tunic and a fancy hat tied under his chin, both of which have elaborate gold details.
4. Discuss in detail with the class how this portrait of 14-month-old Prince Edward is idealized. How do toddlers who are 14 months old normally act? What kinds of clothes would they typically be wearing?
5. Invite the students to create collage self-portraits showing themselves in their most regal manner. Using black-and-white photographs of their faces, guide students in drawing or adding cut-out images of clothing, accessories, hair, and backgrounds that will make them look regal. Guide their thinking with the following questions: What kinds of clothes would you wear? What kind of pose would make you look royal? Would you face forward or sit in profile? Would your hands have a certain gesture? What kind of expression would you have on your face? What would the background look like?
6. When the students have finished their royal self-portraits, invite another class to see their work and ask students to stand in a regal pose by their portraits.
Materials
- Drawing/painting paper and art supplies for each student
- Small mirrors for creating self-portraits (optional)
- Black-and-white photographs of the students’ faces, cut-out images from magazines, and glue (optional)
- Ability to display images and information from the Internet to the students
- About the Art section on Edward, Prince of Wales
- One color copy of the painting for every four students, or the ability to project the image onto a wall or screen
Standards
- Social Studies
- History
- Visual Arts
- Invent and Discover to Create
- Observe and Learn to Comprehend
- Relate and Connect to Transfer
- Envision and Critique to Reflect
- Language Arts
- Oral Expression and Listening
- Critical Thinking & Reasoning
- Invention
- Self-Direction
Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VI)
Hans Holbein the Younger and Studio, Germany
1538
22.75 in. x 17 in.
Long-term loan from the Berger Collection, TL-17310
Photograph © Denver Art Museum 2009. All Rights Reserved.
Hans Holbein [HOLE-bine] the Younger was born in Augsburg, Germany, and is considered the most important portrait painter in England during the Reformation, a time when Christian ideals changed greatly. His father, Hans Holbein the Elder, was also an artist and gave Holbein his first art lessons. Holbein married and lived as an adult in Basel, Switzerland, but as the Protestant Reformation grew and religious images were being smashed and burned, it became increasingly difficult to succeed as an artist. Holbein moved to England, where his reputation for highly skilled and dignified portraiture preceded him, and he became the official painter to King Henry VIII beginning in 1536. In addition to painting royal portraits, he also traveled in Europe with a writer, assigned the unwelcome task of returning with portraits and written descriptions of potential brides for the king, to whom attractiveness was highly important. Through his meticulous technique, Holbein achieved remarkable realism in details and, despite his emotional remove, some sense of individual character. He died of plague in his forties, but his artistic influence was significant—English portraits were patterned on his style for almost a century after his death.
Prince Edward was about 14 months old when Holbein painted this portrait of him. Edward was born to Jane Seymour, the third wife of Henry VIII, in 1537. When she died two weeks after giving birth, King Henry was devastated. In addition to getting all of his father’s affection, the prince received a rigorous education and carried the weight of his father’s expectations for him to succeed him on the throne and champion his cause of consolidating the Reformation. Though he was a frail child with weak eyesight and periodic deafness, he appears healthy and robust in his portraits. Edward was nine years old when he was crowned King of England and Ireland after his father’s death. Although guided by a council of advisors, Edward showed strong interest in religious policy, and just as his father had hoped, his reign furthered his father’s cause. Edward’s accomplishments were cut short, though, when he died of tuberculosis at the age of 15.
Details
Pose
Holbein’s challenge was to make a baby look like a king. Prince Edward sits up straight, looking down slightly at the viewer, and holds his hand up in an intelligent gesture of speaking, of benediction (like a bishop or Christ himself), or perhaps acknowledging the cheers of his adoring subjects. The young boy holds a golden rattle in his left hand, like the scepter he’s expected to hold one day. His control of his arms and head make him seem older.
Fancy Clothes
Prince Edward is dressed in a very formal adult-like outfit. He is wearing a red velvet tunic and a fancy hat tied under his chin, both of which have elaborate gold details. The detail on his gold brocade sleeves shows off the artist’s impressive control of his paintbrush.
Setting
Holbein has placed Prince Edward behind a parapet draped with a dark green cloth. This separates the space between the royal child and the viewer, and also creates the perfect spot to place an inscription.
The Inscription
The inscription at the bottom of the painting is a poem in Latin written by Sir Richard Morison. Translation:
Little one, emulate thy father and be the heir of his virtue; the world contains nothing greater. Heaven and earth could scarcely produce a son whose glory would surpass that of a father. Do thou but equal the deeds of thy parent, and men can ask no more. Shouldst thou surpass him, thou has outstript all, nor shall any surpass thee in ages to come.
Such inscriptions were not uncommon, especially for royal paintings like this one. The King commissioned the portrait not just to have a likeness of his son, but also to serve propaganda purposes, promoting his royal dynasty and his causes. The words flatter the king, communicate his power, and lend validity to his Reformation causes. They also convey the high expectations held for the child.
Ostrich Feather
The curve of the white ostrich feather that tops the boy’s hat complements the gesture young Edward makes with his right hand, creating balance in the composition.
Shadow
The shadow cast by the young boy onto the blue background creates a sense of real space.
Faded Indigo
The dark blue bands that line the sides of this painting indicate that the image is not displayed in its original frame. Indigo pigment fades in light, meaning those darker areas were once covered by a frame of slightly narrower dimensions. The dark blue areas show the original background color.
Say It with Flowers
Students will examine the artistic characteristics of Three Young Girls; explain the meaning and significance of the flowers in the painting and other well-known flowers.
The Significance of Tiny Details
Students will learn about the history of the painting Three Young Girls. They will then examine the tiny details that make the painting special, from the intricate lace pattern to the tiny petals of each flower.
Hold That Pose
Students will explore what it might have felt like for the people in The Radcliffe Family to pose for their sittings. They will then have fun posing stuffed animals and dolls for their own portrait compositions.
I See Three…
Students will explore Three Young Girls to enhance their powers of observation and inspire an exploration of the number three.
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
Students will listen to various sections of Petrarch’s poem “The Triumphs,” sketch images related to the text, and compare their drawings to the images portrayed in The Triumphs paintings. Students will analyze the paintings and critique the artist’s portrayal of the sections of the poem that they listened to. They will then create their own visual piece depicting a poem or song lyrics of their choice.
Identity at Large
Students will examine Jeffrey Gibson’s parfleche (pronounced “par-flesh”)-inspired artwork Freedom, and explore how it might express his identity. Students will learn about the art concepts of geometric shape, color, and scale by creating their own artwork using materials of their choice to express something about their own identity.
Funding for object education resources provided by a grant from the Morgridge Family Foundation. Additional funding provided by the William Randolph Hearst Endowment for Education Programs, and Xcel Energy Foundation. We thank our colleagues at the University of Denver Morgridge College of Education.
The images on this page are intended for classroom use only and may not be reproduced for other reasons without the permission of the Denver Art Museum. This object may not currently be on display at the museum.
