Artwork
Boy with Grapes
Boy with Grapes is a paint painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Hans von Aachen. It dates from 1600 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Technique & Style
Boy with Grapes is a small-scale portrait executed in paint on a wooden panel, measuring approximately 45 cm high by 36 cm wide.
Boy with Grapes is a small-scale portrait executed in paint on a wooden panel, measuring approximately 45 cm high by 36 cm wide. The work depicts a young boy holding a bunch of grapes, rendered in a straightforward portrait format. While the specific type of paint and any details of the artist’s handling or brushwork are not elaborated in the sources, the support is identified as panel, typical of early‑seventeenth‑century German painting. No information regarding the painting’s current condition or conservation history is provided in the cited references.
History & Provenance
The painting Boy with Grapes was created by Hans von Aachen around 1600. Executed in oil paint on a wooden panel, it measures about 45 centimeters in height and 36 centimeters in width. The work is classified as a portrait and depicts a young boy holding a bunch of grapes.
According to museum records, the piece has been part of the Kunsthistorisches Museum's collection in Vienna. No information regarding an original commission, earlier owners, or subsequent provenance is available in the cited sources.
Overview
Hans von Aachen’s Boy with Grapes was painted around 1600. The work is a small genre portrait that shows a youthful figure holding a bunch of grapes against a darkened backdrop. It is part of the permanent collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, representing the artist’s range beyond his more formal religious and mythological commissions.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a boy whose gaze is turned slightly away, his hand presenting a tightly clustered bunch of grapes. The fruit, a traditional symbol of abundance and sensual pleasure, invites contemplation of youth, fertility, or the fleeting nature of pleasure, themes often explored in Northern Mannerist allegory.
Context
Hans von Aachen, a German-born painter active in Prague and Vienna, was a favored artist of Emperor Rudolf II. While much of his output consists of allegorical, erotic, and religious scenes for the imperial court, Boy with Grapes illustrates his capacity to render intimate, everyday moments with the same technical sophistication.
Artist & collection
Artist
Hans von Aachen (1552 – 4 March 1615) was a German painter who was one of the leading representatives of Northern Mannerism.
