Artwork
Edzard I (1462-1528), count of East Friesland
Edzard I (1462-1528), count of East Friesland is an oil painting. It dates from 1525 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. The oil painting depicts Edzard I, Count of East Frisia (1462–1528), seated in a dark robe with his hands folded.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Created in 1525, the work functions as a formal portrait of the ruler, capturing his likeness during the final years of his life.
The painting depicts Edzard I, Count of East Frisia, as its primary subject. Created in 1525, the work functions as a formal portrait of the ruler, capturing his likeness during the final years of his life. As an anonymous oil painting on canvas, the piece serves to document the physical appearance and status of the count, establishing his visual identity within the historical record of East Friesland.
Technique & Style
The portrait is executed in oil paint on canvas, a support consistent with German painting practice of the early sixteenth century. The work is classified as a portrait and dated to 1525, with no artist currently attributed to it; it is recorded as an anonymous painting. Its dimensions are 150 cm in height by 113 cm in width, giving it a substantial, upright format suited to a formal state portrait of a ruling count.
The canvas support and oil medium together indicate a workshop handling typical of the period, though no further technical details regarding underdrawing, layering, or condition are documented in the available records.
History & Provenance
The portrait of Edzard I, Count of East Friesland, is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands. The work, created in 1525, is cataloged as an anonymous oil painting on canvas within the museum's holdings. Specific inventory or accession numbers are not provided in the available records. No exhibition history for this specific piece is documented in the sources.
Overview
The oil painting depicts Edzard I, Count of East Frisia (1462–1528), seated in a dark robe with his hands folded. A gold chain drapes across his chest, and a modest cap rests on his head. Behind him a low carved banner bears a crown and a lion emblazoned on a coat of arms, accompanied by a Latin inscription identifying the sitter.
Context
Edzard's reign coincided with the Reformation and shifting allegiances among German principalities. Portraiture of this era served both as personal commemoration and as political propaganda, reinforcing the ruler's image amid religious and territorial upheavals.
Legacy
The painting stands as a rare visual document of East Frisian nobility, offering insight into the attire, insignia, and self-representation of a regional ruler on the eve of the early modern period. It continues to inform scholarly understanding of northern German court culture.
Artist & collection
Wilhelm V, Duke of Julich, Cleve and Berg
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Ferdinand I
Portrait of Cornelis Aerentsz van der Dussen (1481-1556)
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Philip the Good
Portrait of a man
Portrait of a Man in a Furlined Coat
Portrait of a Man, perhaps Willem Simon-Maertensz, Lord of Stavenisse and Cromstrijen, repeatedly Burgomaster of Zierikzee
Portrait of a Man- Edzard I (1462-1528), Count of East Friesland