144 Taint ers in the Reign of Henry VI IL 



genuine, fhould be doubted now; and yet 

 Vertue gives fuch ilrong reafons, fupported 

 by fo plaufiblc an hypothefis, to account for 

 it*s not being Holbein's, that I tliink them 

 worth laying before the reader. He fays 

 the pi(5lure is but indifferent ; on this I lay 

 no more flrefs than I do in the cafe of that 

 at Burford ; but his obfervation that the 

 lights and fhades in different parts of the 

 pi6lui-e come from oppofite fides, is unan- 

 fwerable, and demonftrate it no genuine pic- 

 ture of Holbein, unlefs that mailer had been 

 a moil ignorant dauber, as he miight fome- 

 times be a carelefs painter. This abfurdity 

 Vertue accounts for, by fuppofing, that Hol- 

 bein quitted the chancellor's fervice for the 

 king's, before he had drawn out the great 

 pi6lure, which however Sir Thomas always 

 underilood was to be executed ; that Hol- 

 bein's bufinefs increafing upon him, fom.e 

 other painter was employed to begin the pic- 

 ture, and to which Holbein was to give the 

 laft touches ; in fhort that inimitable perfec- 

 tion of fiefh which chara6lerifes his works. 

 And this is the more probable as Vertue 

 obferves that the faces and hands are left 

 flat and unfiniflied, but the ornaments, 



jewels. 



