Portrait of Desiderius Erasmus 1523

This oil painting, "Portrait of Desiderius Erasmus," was painted by Hans Holbein the Younger in 1523. The painting is now part of the Louvre museum's collection in Paris, France. The work is a portrait of the Dutch humanist scholar Desiderius Erasmus, shown in profile, wearing a black cap and a dark robe, as he writes in a notebook with a pen in his right hand. The realistic portrayal of Erasmus and his activity capture the attention of the viewer, while the rich detail of the background and the intricate pattern of his robe are a trademark of Holbein's style.