Holbein left Basle towards the end of August, 1526, and journeyed to England by way of Antwerp, where in all probability he made a short stay, reaching London about November. He was received with much kindness by Sir Thomas More, then Speaker of the House of Commons, and holding other high offices; and, according to tradition, remained as More’s guest at his country house at Chelsea during the whole time of his first English visit. He seems to have confined his practice as a portrait painter entirely to Sir Thomas More’s family and his immediate circle of friends, which was a large and learned one, embracing many of the leading churchmen, statesmen, and scholars of the day. More does not appear to have made him known to the King, although it is probable that Henry, who frequently visited the Speaker at Chelsea, and was a great patron of the fine arts, must have become acquainted, even as early as this, with Holbein’s work.
In 1527 he painted Sir Thomas’s portrait, the picture now in the possession of Mr. Edward Huth. In the same year he painted _William Wareham_, Archbishop of Canterbury. Two examples of this portrait exist, both by Holbein, at Lambeth Palace and in the Louvre, and two fine drawings, in the British Museum and at Windsor. Other portraits of 1527 are those of _Sir Henry Guildford_, the Lord Chamberlain (Windsor); his wife, _Lady Guildford_ (Mr. Frewen’s collection); _Sir Brian Tuke_ (Munich and the Duke of Westminster); _John Fisher_, Bishop of Rochester, whose finished portrait is lost, but for which two fine sketches still exist (Windsor and the British Museum); and several undated works, such as the portrait of _Sir Henry Wyatt_ (Louvre), were probably painted in this year. In 1528 he produced the fine portrait of _Nicholas Kratzer_, the King’s Astronomer (Louvre), and _Thomas and John Godsalve_, of Norwich, on one panel (Dresden).
The most important work which he undertook at this time has, unfortunately, disappeared. This was the large portrait group of _Sir Thomas More and His Family_. Several versions of it still exist, of which the one at Nostell Priory is the most important, but not one of them is a genuine work of Holbein’s. Happily, the very beautiful sketch for the whole composition is to-day one of the chief treasures of the Basle Museum. It was taken to Switzerland by the artist as a present from Sir Thomas to Erasmus. Several fine studies for the heads of the sitters have also been preserved (Windsor collection).