Who painted Portrait of a Man?

Portrait of a Man was painted by Barthel Beham in 1529.

Where can I see Portrait of a Man?

Portrait of a Man is held by Kunsthistorisches Museum.

What movement is Portrait of a Man?

Portrait of a Man is associated with Early Baroque Italian.

Can I buy a print of Portrait of a Man?

Museum-quality prints of Portrait of a Man are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Portrait of a Man

Barthel Beham , 1529

Portrait of a Man is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Barthel Beham. It dates from 1529 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The work is a portrait of a man, identified as its main subject.

The work is a portrait of a man, identified as its main subject. As a portrait painting by Barthel Beham, it belongs to the genre tradition of individualized likenesses that characterized German Renaissance art, where the sitter's identity, status, and character were conveyed through facial features, attire, and pose rather than through symbolic attributes. The painting's classification as a portrait and its depiction of a single male figure indicate that its meaning centers on the visual commemoration of an individual rather than on narrative or allegorical content.

Technique & Style

The work is executed in oil paint on a limewood panel, a common support in early-sixteenth-century German portraiture. Its handling emphasizes crisp linearity and smooth transitions, aligning with Beham’s engraving-influenced approach to painting. The sitter’s features are rendered with restrained modeling, using a muted palette enriched by subtle glazes to articulate volume and texture.

The composition’s stark frontality and close cropping focus attention on the subject’s gaze and physiognomy, while the restrained brushwork and polished surface reflect the conventions of Nuremberg portraiture of the 1520s.

The panel measures 85 cm in height and 66 cm in width, and its condition has not been flagged in the cited records.

History & Provenance

The Portrait of a Man was created by the German artist Barthel Beham in 1529. Executed in oil paint on a lime panel, the work depicts a male subject and measures 85 cm in height by 66 cm in width. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, where it is displayed in the hall dedicated to German paintings.

No specific details regarding the original commission, the identity of the sitter, or the intermediate ownership history prior to its arrival at the museum are provided in the available records.

Overview

Portrait of a Man is an oil painting created by Barthel Beham in 1529. It is housed at the Kunsthistorisches Museum.