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Primary sourcePainting1528

Portrait of Erasmus Writing

Hans Holbein the Younger · 1528

A 1528 portrait by Hans Holbein the Younger showing Erasmus in profile at work writing, now in the Louvre.

A portrait showing Erasmus absorbed in writing, the defining image of him as a working humanist scholar.

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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.
Hans Holbein the Younger, Portrait of Erasmus Writing, 1528. Louvre, Paris.

About this source

What it is

This painting by Hans Holbein the Younger, made in 1528, shows Erasmus in profile, writing with a quill. It is held in the Department of Paintings of the Louvre.

Why it matters

The painting shows Erasmus not posing idly but actively at work, pen in hand, over a book and paper. This image of the scholar writing became one of the defining pictures of Renaissance humanist learning, showing how Erasmus and his contemporaries wanted him remembered: as a man devoted to study and writing rather than to public ceremony.

Look closer

  • Why might Holbein have chosen to show Erasmus in profile, actively writing, rather than facing the viewer?
  • What do the rings on his hand and the rich textile behind him suggest about his status?
  • What is missing from this image that might tell us more about Erasmus's ideas or personal life?

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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Hans Holbein the Younger · 1523

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