National Gallery to display life-size Henry VIII sketch, 300 years after painting was destroyed by fire

All that remains of a huge long-lost life-sized portrait of Henry VIII is going on show today after it moved five minutes down the road from the National Portrait Gallery to the National Gallery.

The cartoon by Hans Holbein the Younger is being loaned to its neighbour until 2023 as part of the NPG’s scheme to share its collection while it closes its doors for three years for an ambitious refurbishment scheme.

It is a fragment of a rough draft created by the artist for a huge painting showing the King with his parents and his third wife, Jane Seymour, that was destroyed when the royal palace of Whitehall burnt down in 1698.

The cartoon, done with ink and watercolours, will be shown alongside four other works by Holbein including his painting The Ambassadors which shows two French ambassadors to the English court and was an inspiration for the royal family picture.

National Portrait Gallery director Dr Nicholas Cullinan said: “We are delighted our renowned Holbein cartoon has gone on display at the National Gallery, where it can be seen in an enlightening new context alongside The Ambassadors, which partly inspired it. These two potent images of power and politics are striking examples of the Tudor dynasty and diplomacy. Seen in the flesh and side-by-side, the parallels are fascinating, while the juxtaposition of preparatory drawing and finished oil painting reveals Holbein’s meticulous process.”