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Portrait of a Woman
Artist: Hans Müelich (German, 1516-1573)
Date: 1540
Dimensions:
H: 29 1/2 in. (74.9 cm); W: 25 5/8 in. (65.1 cm)
Medium: Oil on wood panel
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1955.227
Label Text:This unknown woman was the wife of a prosperous German townsperson—perhaps a merchant or a Church official (see her husband’s portrait to the left). Though her dress is simple and an unassuming black, it is luxurious satin trimmed with velvet. She wears a jeweled or enameled belt, four rings, and a gold heart-shaped pendant, displaying her wealth. The large size of the pair of portraits and the prestige of their artist Hans Muelich, the leading painter in Munich at the time, clearly convey that the couple wanted to be remembered as successful and important.
The landscape through the window shows a country vista at sunset, rather than the sunny town scene in her husband’s portrait. The farmstead and ruined castle may have had some special significance to the woman or her family. Look for Muelich’s monogram and the date on the windowsills of each painting.
The landscape through the window shows a country vista at sunset, rather than the sunny town scene in her husband’s portrait. The farmstead and ruined castle may have had some special significance to the woman or her family. Look for Muelich’s monogram and the date on the windowsills of each painting.
Not on view
In Collection(s)