Hans Holbein's famous portrayal of Sir Thomas More is one of the artist's greatest and most popular portraits. In the opening essay in this appealing new volume, "A Letter to Thomas More, Knight", award-winning author Hilary Mantel vividly imagines the background to the creation of this extraordinary portrait, giving it both historical perspective and immediacy. An insightful, concise, scholarly essay by Xavier Salomon grounds it in the art-historical world. Hans Holbein (1497/98–1543) painted Sir Thomas More in 1527, having been a guest in More's house when first arriving in England, brilliantly rendering his sitter's rich fabrics and unshaven face with sympathy and perception. This beautiful book will become both a useful reference for all those interested in Tudor history and art history, and a perfect gift. Each book in the new Diptych Series features a single work in The Frick Collection, pairing an illuminating essay with a vibrant contribution from a renowned contemporary artist or writer. This is the first volume in the series. AUTHORS: Hilary Mantel is an English writer whose work includes personal memoirs, short stories, and historical fiction. She has twice been awarded the Booker Prize, the first for the 2009 novel Wolf Hall, a fictional account of Thomas Cromwell's rise to power in the court of Henry VIII, and the second for the 2012 novel Bring Up the Bodies, the second installment of the Cromwell trilogy. Mantel was the first woman to receive the award twice. The third instalment to the trilogy, The Mirror and the Light, is in progress. Xavier F. Salomon is Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator of The Frick Collection. Previously, he was curator in the Department of European Paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and, before that, the Arturo and Holly Melosi Chief Curator at Dulwich Picture Gallery. Salomon received his Ph.D. on the patronage of Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini from the Courtauld Institute of Art. SELLING POINTS: . Hilary Mantel's vivid imagining of the background to the creation of this extraordinary portrait gives it both historical perspective and immediacy. . Grounded in the art-historical world with an insightful, concise, scholarly essay by Xavier Salomon. A useful reference for students, and all those interested in Tudor history and art history. 23 colour illustrations