Kate Heard Book order

A collection of portraits made during Hans Holbein’s time as the leading artist at the court of Henry VIII. Hans Holbein the Younger (1497–1543) first went to England in 1526, and by 1535 he was King’s Painter to Henry VIII. Holbein at the Tudor Court focuses on the internationally significant collection of portraits by Holbein from that period that is part of the Royal Collection. Along with beautiful reproductions of Holbein’s drawings, miniatures, and paintings, the book offers an introductory essay as the artist of the Tudor court in England, as well as a series of entries on individual works. It delivers insights about the portraits and their subjects, and it also brings in voices from the period, as found in letters, poems, administrative records, and diplomatic accounts, to bring the world of the sixteenth-century English court to life. 

Kate Heard, a Senior Curator at the Royal Collection Trust, brings her expertise in art to her works. She has authored notable titles such as "Maria Merian's Butterflies," which explores the intricate world of butterfly illustrations, and "High Spirits: The Comic Art of Thomas Rowlandson," showcasing the humor and creativity of Rowlandson's artwork. Her contributions highlight the intersection of art history and the natural world, reflecting her deep understanding of prints and drawings.

"In 1699, the German entomologist and artist Maria Sibylla Merian set sail for Suriname, in South America. There she would produce a series of beautiful and scientifically accurate illustrations of the natural world which she encountered. These drawings, in which Merian aimed to explore the life-cycle of insects (then only partially understood), led to the publication of the Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium, a luxury volume which brought the wonders of the wildlife of Suriname to Europe. Maria Merian's Butterflies tells Merian's story through her works in the Royal Collection. Over three-hundred years after they were made, these meticulous, brilliant works celebrate a woman whose art and whose story are enduringly popular." from publisher's website