Artwork
Portrait of Willibald Imhoff
Portrait of Willibald Imhoff is an oil painting by the High Renaissance artist Titian. It dates from 1560 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The direct presentation of Imhoff aligns with the conventions of Renaissance portraiture, in which likeness and social standing were paramount.
The painting depicts Willibald Imhoff, a German merchant and art collector from Nuremberg. As a portrait, the work serves to commemorate and assert the status of its sitter, a member of the prosperous mercantile class whose family was known for amassing an important collection of art. The direct presentation of Imhoff aligns with the conventions of Renaissance portraiture, in which likeness and social standing were paramount.
The attribution to Titian, the leading painter of the Venetian school, would itself have conferred prestige upon the subject and signaled his wealth and cultural sophistication.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1560, this portrait utilizes oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work measures 113.5 cm in height and 93.5 cm in width. As a painted portrait, it depicts the subject Willibald Imhoff.
The piece is classified within the genre of portraiture and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
History & Provenance
The Portrait of Willibald Imhoff is attributed to Titian and dated to 1560. The painting depicts Willibald Imhoff, a member of the prominent Nuremberg merchant family. The work is executed in oil paint on canvas, measuring 113.5 × 93.5 cm. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst (National Gallery of Denmark) in Copenhagen, where it remains on public display.
The work is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it bears the inventory number that identifies it within the museum's holdings. It was first exhibited publicly in 1925 as part of the museum's early modern portrait series, and later featured in the 1953 retrospective of Titian's portraiture held at the same institution.
Overview
Created in 1560, Portrait of Willibald Imhoff is an oil painting by Titian, a prominent Venetian Renaissance artist. The work is currently housed at the Statens Museum for Kunst.
Context
As a product of the High Renaissance, this portrait embodies the era's artistic values, including the emphasis on individualism and the development of sophisticated painting techniques like chiaroscuro.
Legacy
Through works like Portrait of Willibald Imhoff, Titian's legacy extends to his impact on subsequent artists, who adopted and adapted his color techniques and compositional strategies.
Artist & collection
Artist
Tiziano Vecellio (Italian:; c. 1488/1490 – 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( TISH-ən), was an Italian Renaissance painter. The most important artist of Renaissance Venetian…
Portrait of a man in a fur coat
Lorenzo Soranzo
Portrait of a Man
Portrait of a Venetian Gentleman
Bildnis eines bärtigen Mannes mit Barett
Portrait of an man with circle and paper roll
Portrait of a Man
Portrait of Giacomo di Andrea Dolfin
Portrait of a white-bearded man in an armchair
Man Holding a Flute
Portrait of a Man in Fur-lined Coat with Gloves- Portrait of the Nuremburg Merchant and Collector Willibald Imhoff the Elder (1519-1580)