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Primary sourcePainting1523

Erasmus

Hans Holbein the Younger · 1523

A 1523 portrait of Erasmus by Hans Holbein the Younger, painted from life to present him as Europe's leading scholar.

A life portrait of Erasmus that helped establish his public image as Europe's leading scholar.

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Oil painting of an older man with grey hair wearing a black cap and dark fur-trimmed robe, resting his hands on a red book with gold lettering and green ribbon markers. A green curtain and carved pilaster stand behind him, with books and a glass bottle on a shelf at right.
Hans Holbein the Younger, Erasmus, 1523. National Gallery, London.

About this source

What it is

This oil painting by Hans Holbein the Younger, made in 1523, shows Erasmus resting his hands on a book inscribed with words referring to "Herculean labours." It is now held by the National Gallery.

Why it matters

Holbein painted Erasmus from life, and the portrait helped shape how Europe saw its most famous humanist scholar: dignified, learned, and surrounded by the tools of study. The inscription comparing his work to the labours of Hercules reflects how Erasmus and his circle wanted his vast scholarly output to be understood.

Look closer

  • What details in the painting (the book, the clothing, the setting) tell you this is meant to show a scholar rather than a noble or soldier?
  • Why might Erasmus have wanted his image spread across Europe through paintings like this?
  • What does the phrase "Herculean labours" suggest about how Erasmus saw his own work?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Desiderius Erasmus on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Page from a 16th-century printed Latin book with a pen-and-ink marginal drawing at upper left of a figure in a hooded garment holding up a small figure of a man, with handwritten Latin notes and a printed column of Latin and Greek text beside it. The handwritten annotation reads 'Vere nobiles qui' at the top.Book

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De libero arbitrio diatribe sive collatio

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Scan of the title page of a 1525 book, with an ornate woodcut border of architectural arches and foliage. Central text reads 'DE SERVO ARBITRIO MARTINI Lutheri ad D. Erasmum Roterodamum' and 'Vvittembergae 1525', with a winged cherub holding a shield marked with a monogram at the bottom. A circular library stamp reads 'Ex Bibl. Paulina Monast.' and handwritten notes appear at top and right.Book

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On the Bondage of the Will

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Painting of a man in profile wearing a black flat cap and dark robe, writing with a quill on a sheet of paper resting on a book. He wears rings on his hand. Behind him is a dark patterned textile hanging with red and gold motifs.Painting

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Portrait of Erasmus Writing

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