The first influence on Holbein was his father, Hans Holbein the Elder, an accomplished religious artist and portraitist who passed on his techniques as a religious artist and his gifts as a portraitist to his son.
The young Holbein learned his craft in his father's workshop in Augsburg, a city with a thriving book trade, where woodcut and engraving flourished.
Augsburg also acted as one of the chief "ports of entry" into Germany for the ideas of the Italian Renaissance.
By the time Holbein began his apprenticeship under Hans Herbster in Basel, he was already steeped in the late Gothic style, with its unsparing realism and emphasis on line, which influenced him throughout his life.
In Basel, he was favoured by humanist patrons, whose ideas helped form his vision as a mature artist.

During his Swiss years, when he may have visited Italy, Holbein added an Italian element to his stylistic vocabulary.
Scholars note the influence of Leonardo da Vinci's "sfumato" (smoky) technique on his work, for example in his Venus and Amor and Lais of Corinth.
From the Italians, Holbein learned the art of single-point perspective and the use of antique motifs and architectural forms.
In this, he may have been influenced by Andrea Mantegna.
The decorative detail recedes in his late portraits, though the calculated precision remains.
Despite assimilating Italian techniques and Reformation theology, Holbein's art in many ways extended the Gothic tradition.
His portrait style, for example, remained distinct from the more sensuous technique of Titian, and from the Mannerism of William Scrots, Holbein's successor as King's Painter.
Holbein's portraiture, particularly his drawings, had more in common with that of Jean Clouet, which he may have seen during his visit to France in 1524.
He adopted Clouet's method of drawing with coloured chalks on a plain ground, as well as his care over preliminary portraits for their own sake.
During his second stay in England, Holbein learned the technique of limning, as practised by Lucas Horenbout.
In his last years, he raised the art of the portrait miniature to its first peak of brilliance.
The first influence on Holbein was his father, Hans Holbein the Elder, an accomplished religious artist and portraitist who passed on his techniques as a religious artist and his gifts as a portraitist to his son. The young Holbein learned his craft in his father's workshop in Augsburg, a city with a thriving book trade, where woodcut and engraving flourished. Augsburg also acted as one of the chief "ports of entry" into Germany for the ideas of the Italian Renaissance. By the time Holbein began his apprenticeship under Hans Herbster in Basel, he was already steeped in the late Gothic style, with its unsparing realism and emphasis on line, which influenced him throughout his life. In Basel, he was favoured by humanist patrons, whose ideas helped form his vision as a mature artist.
During his Swiss years, when he may have visited Italy, Holbein added an Italian element to his stylistic vocabulary. Scholars note the influence of Leonardo da Vinci's "sfumato" (smoky) technique on his work, for example in his Venus and Amor and Lais of Corinth. From the Italians, Holbein learned the art of single-point perspective and the use of antique motifs and architectural forms. In this, he may have been influenced by Andrea Mantegna. The decorative detail recedes in his late portraits, though the calculated precision remains. Despite assimilating Italian techniques and Reformation theology, Holbein's art in many ways extended the Gothic tradition. His portrait style, for example, remained distinct from the more sensuous technique of Titian, and from the Mannerism of William Scrots, Holbein's successor as King's Painter. Holbein's portraiture, particularly his drawings, had more in common with that of Jean Clouet, which he may have seen during his visit to France in 1524. He adopted Clouet's method of drawing with coloured chalks on a plain ground, as well as his care over preliminary portraits for their own sake. During his second stay in England, Holbein learned the technique of limning, as practised by Lucas Horenbout. In his last years, he raised the art of the portrait miniature to its first peak of brilliance.
Hans Holbein the Younger