Where can I see Head of a Female Saint?

It hangs at the Kunstmuseum Basel in Switzerland. Basel was Holbein's home base before he moved to England to serve Henry VIII.

What are the dimensions of this painting?

The panel measures 23.5 x 21.5 cm (approximately 9 x 8.5 inches). It was cut from a larger work, probably in the 16th century when it joined the Amerbach collection.

When did Holbein paint this?

Hans Holbein the Younger created this around 1515-1516, during his early career in Germany before his fame as a court portraitist.

What art movement does this represent?

The work belongs to the Northern Renaissance, characterized by detailed observation and religious subject matter. Holbein blended German tradition with Italian influences.

Where Is Head of a Female Saint? See It at Kunstmuseum Basel

Hans Holbein the Younger completed this small panel around 1515-1516, early in his career. The delicate face of a young woman gazes outward, her identity as a saint suggested by the work's traditional title rather than any visible attribute.

The panel measures just 23.5 x 21.5 cm and was already in its current format by the 16th century, when it entered the Amerbach collection. Art historians believe it was cut from a larger composition, along with a companion piece showing a male saint. What survives is essentially a fragment, though a beautiful one.

Holbein used a combination of oil, tempera, and wood techniques common in Northern Renaissance painting. He would later become famous for his penetrating portraits at the English court of Henry VIII, but this early work shows his skill already developing. The Kunstmuseum Basel holds several Holbein works, appropriate given that Basel was the artist's home for much of his career before moving to England.