Artwork

Beweinungsaltar: Hl. Stephanus mit dem Stifter Stephan Vell von Wevelinghoven

Beweinungsaltar: Hl. Stephanus mit dem Stifter Stephan Vell von Wevelinghoven is an unspecified painting by the Mannerist artist Bartholomaeus Bruyn the Elder. It dates from 1531 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The altarpiece portrays Saint Stephen, the protomartyr, alongside his donor portrait of Stephan Vell von Wevelinghoven. The composition combines devotional imagery with a donor figure, emphasizing Stephen's role as a witness to Christian faith. The work belongs to the religious genre and reflects early 16th-century devotional practices in German art.

History & Provenance

The altarpiece depicting Saint Stephen was commissioned by Stephan Vell of Wevelinghoven and executed by Bartholomaeus Bruyn the Elder in 1531. It entered the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections and has been housed in the Alte Pinakothek since its acquisition.

Overview

Created in 1531 by Bartholomaeus Bruyn the Elder, this altarpiece presents Saint Stephen together with his patron, Stephan Vell von Wevelinghoven. Executed for a devotional setting, the work now belongs to the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. It exemplifies the German Renaissance transition toward a more expressive, mannered visual language.

Technique & Style

The figures stand before a muted green landscape, distant hills and a solitary tree, while a black‑and‑white chequered shield at the base adds a heraldic touch.

Bruyn employs a Mannerist approach, evident in the elongated proportions and the richly patterned gold‑red drapery of the saint contrasted with the donor’s simpler attire. The figures stand before a muted green landscape, distant hills and a solitary tree, while a black‑and‑white chequered shield at the base adds a heraldic touch. The painting’s surface shows careful modeling and a slightly stiff rendering of contemporary costume.

Beweinungsaltar: Ein Heiliger mit dem Stifter Bernhard (?) von Huchtenbroich, Bartholomaeus Bruyn the Elder

Artist & collection

Artist

Bartholomaeus Bruyn the Elder

Bartholomäus Bruyn (1493–1555), usually called Barthel Bruyn or Barthel Bruyn the Elder, was a German Renaissance painter active in Cologne. He painted altarpieces and portraits, and was Cologne's foremost portrait painter of his day.