gold; and a gold locket hangs from a plain, heavy chain of
the same metal. His right hand carries his gloves, his left rests on the
gold sheath of the dagger that hangs from his waist. His auburn hair and
beard is streaked with grey.

No words, no reproduction, can hope to express the qualities of such
a painting. Neither can show the mastery or the spell by which the green
background, the hair, the cool transparent flesh-tones, the fur, the
satin, the gold, are all woven into a witchery as virile as it is
penetrating.

This is another work which has undergone more than one transformation in
the course of its records. As late as 1657 it was correctly ascribed to
Holbein in the Modena Collection. But the first syllable of the sitter's
name has been its only constant. In time Morett slipped into Moretta,
and then--like _Meier_ in the Madonna picture--into Morus. So far it
seems to have clung to some English tradition. But when Morus got
changed to Moro it was but natural for an Italian to think of Ludovico
Sforza, "Il Moro." Long before this Holbein had become Olbeno; and
thereafter a puzzle. When the portrait was labelled Sforza, however, who
could its obviously great painter be but Leonardo? _Et voila!_ Thus the
work passed to the Gallery and Catalogue of the Royal Collection at
Dresden. And thus it long remained, as if to attest the true level of
Holbein's genius.

But when the Gallery also acquired the drawing of the Arundel
Collection, labelled "Mr. Morett" in Hollar's engraving from it, the
painting was held to be unquestionably identified by it as Hubert
Morett, goldsmith to Henry VIII. Nor is there anything incongruous in
this belief. Such a master goldsmith was no tradesman, in our sense of
the word. He was often much more like one of our merchant princes. The
merchants of the Steelyard were frequently the royal bankers, and many
times were employed on high and delicate diplomatic missions to other
courts. Neither is there anything in the sitter's dress to forbid it to
a man of this stamp, even after the sumptuary laws of Henry VIII. were
passed; while there is much, very much, to suggest an English origin.

On the other hand, M. Larpent has now shown that the Arundel drawing was
down in a catalogue of 1746-7 as: "One Holbein, Sieur de Moret, one of
the French hostage in England"; and also that a "Chas. sieur de Morette"
is recorded among the four French hostages sent to England in 1519. It
would thus appear