Portrait of a Boy, possibly Hans Holbein the Younger

Ambrosius Holbein (in circa 1516-1517)

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Dr A Goizueta asked

Was this the Holbein drawing stolen from the Koenings Collection by the Germans in WWII, then by the Soviets, which Soviet art spy Victor Louis tried to sell in London in the late 1980s? Thank you!!
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen answered

Dear Dr. Goizueta,

the Holbein drawing, like most of the prints and drawings in the Boijmans van Beuningen collection, came from the Koenigs collection. Franz Koenigs, a German by birth, decided to move to Amsterdam in 1922. From there he began to have excellent relations with the country's most important museums including, of course, the Boijmans. In 1934, in fact, Koenigs had his valuable collection of prints and drawings exhibited in the museum's then headquarters, the Schieladhuis, including a portrait of Holbein the Younger. At the opening of van der Steur's new building for the Boijmans in 1935, Koenigs decided to lend his works to the museum. In the publication "German Master Drawings from the Kenigs Collection" by Albert J. Elen (former curator of Prints and Drawings at Boijmans) there is a lot of information about it if you want to learn more about it.

Best Regards,
Mara

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This portrait of a boy is attributed to Ambrosius Holbein, the elder brother of the famous painter Hans Holbein the Younger. The two brothers were depicted in 1511 in a double portrait by their father Hans Holbein the Elder, in which the thirteen-year-old Hans greatly resembles the boy portrayed in this drawing. The portraits were both drawn ‘en trois quarts’, with the head slightly turned away.

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Specifications

Title	Portrait of a Boy, possibly Hans Holbein the Younger
Material and technique	Silverpoint, pen in black, brush in brown, traces of red chalk, heightened with white, on gray prepared paper
Object type	Drawing (recto) > Drawing > Two-dimensional object > Art object
Location	This object is in storage

Artists	Draughtsman: Ambrosius Holbein
Accession number	D I 215 recto (PK)
Credits	Loan Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (former Koenigs collection), 1989
Department	Drawings & Prints
Acquisition date	1989
Creation date	in circa 1516-1517
Collector	Collector / Franz Koenigs
Internal exhibitions	De Collectie Twee - wissel II, Prenten & Tekeningen (2009) De collectie als tijdmachine (2017)
Material	Brush > Painter's materials > Tools > Work place, studio, equipment > Work > Utensil Paper > Vegetable material > Organic material > Material > Material and technique Brown ink > Ink > Artist's material > Material > Material and technique Black ink > Ink > Artist's material > Material > Material and technique Red chalk > Chalk > Artist's material > Material > Material and technique Silverpoint > Metalpoint > Artist's material > Material > Material and technique Pen > Writing materials > Desk accessories > Work > Utensil
Object	Drawing (recto) > Drawing > Two-dimensional object > Art object
Technique	Prepare > Prepared > Shaping techniques > General technique > Technique > Material and technique Prepare > Prepared > Shaping techniques > General technique > Technique > Material and technique Highlight > Painting technique > Technique > Material and technique