Cardinal Bernhardus Clesius

The portrait of Cardinal Bernhardus Clesius was created in 1530 by the artist Bartholomaeus Bruyn the Elder. Executed in oil paint on a panel measuring 62.8 cm by 44.7 cm, the work depicts the cardinal as its primary subject. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it remains located.

No further details regarding the specific commission, intermediate ownership history, or provenance chain prior to its museum acquisition are provided in the available records.

The portrait of Cardinal Bernhardus Clesius painted by Bartholomaeus Bruyn the Elder in 1530 is part of the Kunsthistorisches Museum's collection in Vienna and is catalogued under the accession number that corresponds to its entry in the museum's holdings. It has been exhibited in several shows focusing on Northern Renaissance portraiture, including a 2005 exhibition on Bruyn's work at the same institution.

Bartholomaeus Bruyn the Elder, a Cologne‑based painter of the early 16th century, executed an oil portrait in 1530 that presents the ecclesiastical figure Bernardo Clesio. The sitter is shown in a red hat and robe, seated at a table, his hands joined in a contemplative pose. A small, elaborately decorated bell rests on the tabletop, while a muted green backdrop frames the composition.

During the early 1500s Cologne was a hub for religious portraiture, and Bruyn held a leading position among local artists. His work reflects the broader shift from the balanced compositions of the High Renaissance toward the more expressive, elongated forms that would define Mannerism, situating this portrait at a stylistic crossroads.