Holbein's illustrations from The Old Testament: King Ahasuerus
eath comes to the king disguised as a cupbearer, pouring up the liquids.
There's general agreement that the king is a portrait of Francis 1st of France (picture to the left),
even though Francis (François) lived 1494-1547 and thus was alive — both when Holbein designed the woodcuts in the 1520'ies, and
when the Trechsel Brothers published them in 1538.
The king is sitting under a canopy, and the fabric behind him is decorated with woven fleur-de-lis.
Holbein used the same design when he drew King Ahasuerus from the Book of Esther
in The Old Testament.
Variations: Birckmann gives the king new clothes and hat — and gives the standing waiter
two double plates in his hand.
Valvasor and Deuchar copies Birckmann's clothes and hat, but Deuchar gives the waiter a plate with a decanter.
eath comes to the king disguised as a cupbearer, pouring up the liquids.
There's general agreement that the king is a portrait of Francis 1st of France (picture to the left),
even though Francis (François) lived 1494-1547 and thus was alive — both when Holbein designed the woodcuts in the 1520'ies, and
when the Trechsel Brothers published them in 1538.
Dances of death
Holbein