Hans Holbein the younger, 1497-1540, was born in Augsburg, Germany.

Hans Holbein the younger, the son of the accomplished painter Hans Holbein the elder, was a German painter and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style, and is considered as one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century. He also produced religious art, satire, and Reformation propaganda, and he made a significant contribution to the history of book design. At first he painted murals, religious works and designed stained glass windows and printed books. After reformation his late gothic style was enriched by artistic trends in Italy, France and even the Netherlands, as well as by Renaissance Humanism , which resulted in a combined aesthetic uniquely his own. He was never content with outward appearance, however, and embedded layers of symbolism, allusion, and paradox in his art to the lasting fascination of scholars. In the view of art historian, his portraiture remains, unsurpassed for sureness and economy of statement, penetrating into character, and a combined richness and purity of style .