How did this particular copy of Holbeins portrait of Henry VIII come to be here?
It is first recorded at Petworth in 1720, by George Vertue, a noted antiquarian. He tells us that the French artist Louis Laguerre admired it while he was in the house working on his mural for the Grand Staircase. However, it could have been at Petworth from 1689, with the Seymour provenance possibly dating back to the 16th century. Charles Seymour, the 6th Duke, was after all the senior descendant of the eldest son of the Protector Seymour – Edward, 1st Duke of Somerset (c.1506-1552) was Lord Protector of England after the death of Henry VIII, and guardian of his only son, Edward VI. He was unjustly executed for treason on Tower Hill. Also we must remember that Holbein’s original of this figure in the massive Whitehall mural depicted Henry with his parents and Jane Seymour, younger sister to the 1st Duke. The Seymour connection is an important one as far as provenance goes, and of course the 6th Duke was immensely proud of his lineage, notwithstanding Edward’s fate. The portrait curre
