«The lady with the squirrel and the squatter» (c. 1527–1528) is a camera portrait of Hans Holbein Jr., which combines the accuracy of observation with a mysterious set of symbols and ciphers that require careful decoding. Written during his first stay in England from the summer of 1526 to the summer of 1528, this portrait reveals the essence of the northern Renaissance: experiments on secular, domestic and other genres, emphasis on everydayity, naturalism, the expansion of technical and technological aspects of oil painting, and the careful reproduction of details and the application of visual allusions that conceal the history of identity, power and memory.
The painting was created by Hans Holbein Jr. during his first visit to London, when he was looking for patrons outside Germany. In England, the artist worked primarily for Thomas Moore, a humanist, a philosopher, and a statesman. This is one of the most subtle works of Holbein Jr., combining almost photographic accuracy with visual mystery. The woman is represented in the line of reference, against the background of a dark aquamarine drape curtain and a light landscape box — a characteristic background of the English portrait. The artist often hints at a landscape from behind, but remains faithful to a flat butt that sends to icons.
The sitting lady is Anna Lavel, a rich English courtwoman from Norfolk, whose husband, Sir Francis Lavel, served under Henry VIII. Animals play a special role: protein and squash. They are not only common animals in England, but also herald symbols that provide clues about the identity of the sitter. A squirrel placed on a lady’s arms probably symbolizes not only her family coat of arms, where the squirrel is a emblem, but also the domestic tame of savagery, as indicated by the silver chain. A squatter with smooth shiny feathers sitting on a branch in the upper right corner connects the portrait to a real London topography, probably pointing to the location of the Lovell estate in Norfolk (Ling, Starling, East Harling, East Harling, in Tudor times).
Painting technology demonstrates remarkable realism: semi-translucent tissue, folded pieces of hair opening the forehead, sparkling the eye of a protein transmitted with a thin gradient of light. It’s not just a portrait of nature, but it’s the image of a woman in a state of cautious self-control, where physical intimacy (animals on the body) is combined with emotional isolation. Holbein creates a multilayered portrait — both private, symbolic, and memorial. Author: Michael Arutyunyan
