SuperRare

Portraits were highly valued in classical painting, often serving as a way to immortalize rulers, religious figures, and wealthy patrons. Renaissance artists like Titian and Hans Holbein the Younger excelled in portraiture, capturing both the likeness and personality of their subjects. These portraits went beyond mere representation, as they often conveyed status, character, or allegorical themes. Holbein’s Portrait of Henry VIII, for example, not only depicts the monarch but emphasizes his power and authority through the composition and regal pose.