HARTFORD, Conn. — The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is now exhibiting Hans Holbein’s Portrait of Henry VIII (1540), a famed likeness of the Tudor king, on special loan from Italy.
The painting arrived from Rome’s Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica – Palazzo Barberini as part of a temporary exchange.
The Wadsworth sent St. Francis in Ecstasy by Caravaggio in return. That work will feature in Caravaggio 2025, a major exhibition in Italy through July 6.
The Holbein portrait “reveals the grand opulence of the king’s reign,” the Wadsworth said in a public announcement.
Museumgoers will have an opportunity to delve deeper into the painting during a special event titled Gallery Talk – Hans Holbein’s Portrait of Henry VIII with Matthew Hargraves and Oliver Tostmann on May 3. Talks are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Admission is free with museum entry, but reservations are required. “Hans Holbein’s Portrait of Henry VIII (1540) reveals the grand opulence of the king’s reign,” the museum reiterated in its program notes.
Tickets and reservation details are available through the Wadsworth’s official site.
