Portrait of a Man
Artist: Hans Müelich (German, 1516-1573)
Date: 1540
Dimensions:
H: 29 1/2 in. (74.9 cm); W: 23 5/8 in. (60 cm)
Medium: Oil on wood panel
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1955.226
Label Text:Staring confidently out at the viewer, this unidentified man seems to radiate quiet authority. Bavarian court artist Hans Muelich depicts the man in velvet robes that fill the composition, making his physical presence as impressive as his psychological presence. He holds a small book in his left hand, perhaps a clue to his profession, and rests his right hand on a piece of paper that records in Latin his age at the time of the portrait: 40 years.
Like the portrait of the man’s wife (to the right), this painting features a landscape seen through a window. A cathedral dominates the scene, perhaps suggesting an association with the Church. Though we do not know the man’s family name, the artist may have given us a clue to his first name. A tiny scene plays out in the foreground of the landscape: the biblical story of the stoning of Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Saint Stephen may be the man’s name saint.
Like the portrait of the man’s wife (to the right), this painting features a landscape seen through a window. A cathedral dominates the scene, perhaps suggesting an association with the Church. Though we do not know the man’s family name, the artist may have given us a clue to his first name. A tiny scene plays out in the foreground of the landscape: the biblical story of the stoning of Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Saint Stephen may be the man’s name saint.
Not on view
In Collection(s)