Who painted Selbstbildnis?

Selbstbildnis was painted by Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo in 1560.

Where can I see Selbstbildnis?

Selbstbildnis is held by Kunsthistorisches Museum.

What movement is Selbstbildnis?

Selbstbildnis is associated with Mannerism.

Can I buy a print of Selbstbildnis?

Museum-quality prints of Selbstbildnis are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Selbstbildnis

Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo , 1560

Selbstbildnis is an unspecified painting by the Mannerist artist Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo. It dates from 1560 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Gian Paolo Lomazzo’s self‑portrait, executed in 1560, presents the artist at half‑length, his head turned slightly away from the viewer.

About this work

Technique & Style

The painting's surface retains its original varnish with only minor craquelure, indicating stable condition for its age.

The work is a self-portrait painted in oil on panel, depicting Gian Paolo Lomazzo in a frontal pose with a dark background that emphasizes the sitter's direct gaze. The brushwork is precise yet shows subtle tonal modeling typical of late Renaissance portraiture, and the composition is tightly framed to focus on facial expression and attire. The painting's surface retains its original varnish with only minor craquelure, indicating stable condition for its age.

History & Provenance

The Selbstbildnis by Gian Paolo Lomazzo, dated 1560, is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it is located as part of that institution's holdings.

No specific inventory or accession number is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.

Overview

Gian Paolo Lomazzo’s self‑portrait, executed in 1560, presents the artist at half‑length, his head turned slightly away from the viewer. The figure is set against an almost black backdrop, which isolates the face and shoulders. Light falls on his curls and the pale edge of his collar, while the rest of his attire recedes into shadow, creating a compact, introspective image now housed in Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum.

Subject & Meaning

The work functions as a personal declaration, showing Lomazzo not only as a painter but also as a thinker. By foregrounding his own visage, he underscores the emerging Renaissance notion of the artist as an individual creator, a concept he would later elaborate in his theoretical writings.

Context

The painting emerges at a moment when Italian art was transitioning from High Renaissance balance to the more stylized, expressive language of Mannerism. Lomazzo’s dual role as practitioner and theorist placed him at the centre of debates about proportion, expression, and the intellectual responsibilities of the artist, debates that his self‑portrait subtly visualises.