Hans Holbein the Younger: Portrait of a Lady with a Squirrel and a Starling (1526-28)

(National Gallery, London, UK)

A beautiful painting by the German-Swiss artist Hans Holbein the Younger (1497 – 1543) . The woman on this painting was identified as Ann Ashbye (1497-...), the second wife of Sir Francis Lovell (...- 1551), a member of the court of king Henry VIII of England. The squirrel is a heraldic badge of Francis Lovell while the starling is a pun on East Harling in Norfolk where Lovell owned a house. The warm fur hat suggests that this painting was probably made in the winter. Painting from 1526-1528.