Project

Beneath the Surface: Thomas More at Nostell

Visitors looking at Sir Thomas More and his Family painting by Hans Holbein the Younger at Nostell, West Yorkshire | © National Trust Images/Annapurna Mellor

In a fascinating behind-the-scenes project at Nostell, specialists from the National Trust and the Hamilton Kerr Institute use advanced scanning technology to examine the Thomas More portrait. By looking beneath the surface of the painting, the team hopes to reveal hidden details about its history, creation, and condition, helping to protect and better understand this remarkable artwork for future generations.

Who Was Thomas More?

The spectacular 2.5m × 3.4 m portrait features three generations of the family of Sir Thomas More, Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor, who was executed for treason for not supporting the annulment of the King’s first marriage.

The painting shows Sir Thomas More with his family, books, musical instruments and pets in their Chelsea home, and may have been commissioned to mark More’s 50th birthday and his daughters’ double wedding. It is filled with symbolism, from the books that reference the family's scholarly reputation to the three-petalled irises that allude to faith, valour, and wisdom.

Conservation and the Search for Answers

Curator at Nostell, Simon McCormack, says: “There are lots of myths and legends around our painting which heritage science can help answer. How close is it to the lost original? When was it painted? How much has it been altered over time, and by who?”

Rebecca Hellen, National Conservator for the Visual Arts at the National Trust added: “Conservation Scientists and imaging experts from the Hamilton Kerr Institute will help us generate visuals that will provide us with fresh clues and information on the painting. We will use techniques like Infrared Reflectography (IRR) and a newer exciting imaging technique called Macro-XRF, famously used on Rembrandt’s The Night Watch at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam."

Slider with before and after images

Sir Thomas More and his Family by after Hans Holbein the younger (Augsburg 1497/8 - London 1543) — Nostell’s painting, the only faithful, same-size copy based on the Holbein original and Holbein's original preparatory sketch | © Wikimedia Commons | © National Trust Images/Nostell Priory

Study for the portrait of the More family

Conservation in Action

Property curator, Simon McCormack, says: “We hope that by doing this work in front of visitors, we can share an insight into the conservation science that helps us to understand and care for our heritage – and help people take a deeper dive into one of our most prized, fascinating artworks.

"It’s all part of our mission to make the heritage we care for accessible to people; including what usually goes on behind the scenes and the science we use to understand our collections better.”

Macro-XRF Discoveries

The following images highlight some of the findings from the Thomas More painting and show how this cutting-edge technology is helping us build a deeper understanding of the artwork.

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3 Layers of Thomas More Macro-XRF image analysis | © Hamilton Kerr

Understanding the Artist's Palette

This image combines three elements to reveal the materials used in the painting. It shows how the red pigment vermilion was used to model facial features, copper-containing pigments were used in the green curtain and blue cloak, and bone black helped create details in the black drapery that are now difficult to see with the naked eye. The scan provides valuable insights into the artist's techniques and use of colour.

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Thomas More Macro-XRF image analysis of drawing lines | © Hamilton Kerr

Following the Artist's Process

This is a detail of the calcium (Ca) elemental map. The map shows vertical and horizontal lines in several parts of the image that aren't visible on the painting itself. This might point a grid pattern hidden underneath the surface, that the artist used as a tool when copying of the composition of Holbein's original. This will need to be confirmed across the whole painting, but might be a piece in solving the puzzle of how exactly the painting was copied.

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Timeline of the project

September 2026

The project begins

Nostell's Property Curator, Simon McCormack, shares why this exciting scanning project is significant for both Nostell and the wider National Trust.

"We have long wanted to fully investigate this painting, which has had limited scientific analysis. What makes it even more significant is that it is a rare copy based on a long-lost original by Hans Holbein the Younger, the most important artist working in England in the 16th century."

"That original, made around 1527 and lost in a fire in 1752, was regarded as one of the most innovative of Holbein’s English period and was arguably the first group portrait of a British family at home. Nostell's painting is understood to be the most faithful to Holbein's original and the only same-size version that survives.”

Self-portrait of the Artist hesitating between the Arts of Music and Painting by Angelica Kauffman, displayed at Nostell in Yorkshire, showing three women.

Nostell's collection

Explore the objects and works of art we care for at Nostell on the National Trust Collections website.

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Explore one of the grandest houses in the north of England, furnished by Thomas Chippendale and home to one of the few remaining doll's houses from the 18th century, and a rare John Harrison clock.

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Discover edible delights in the kitchen garden, unwind beside the orangery or escape to the menagerie garden before exploring the winding paths of the pleasure grounds.

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History of Nostell

Nostell is a place shaped by centuries of change. From its origins as a Roman settlement and medieval priory to the ambitious 18th-century vision of the Winn family, the estate tells a rich story of power, taste and transformation. Today, visitors can explore a Palladian house with interiors by James Paine and Robert Adam, alongside one of the finest collections of Thomas Chippendale furniture in the country.

Oil painting on canvas of Sir Rowland Winn and his wife Sabine Louise d'Hervart in the library at Nostell Priory, by Hugh Douglas Hamilton RHA

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