Artwork
Portrait of Duke Ludwig X von Landshut (1495-1545)

Portrait of Duke Ludwig X von Landshut (1495-1545) is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Unknown. It dates from 1540 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections. The work is an oil painting that presents a seated male figure, identified as Duke Ludwig X of Landshut (1495–1545).
About this work
Technique & Style
Stylistically, it functions as a formal portrait attributed to an anonymous artist working after the manner of Christoph Amberger.
Created in 1540, this portrait of Duke Ludwig X von Landshut is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel support. The work measures 71.5 cm in height and 47.6 cm in width. Stylistically, it functions as a formal portrait attributed to an anonymous artist working after the manner of Christoph Amberger. The painting is currently held within the Bavarian State Painting Collections at the Alte Pinakothek.
History & Provenance
The work was created in 1540 as an oil paint portrait of Duke Ludwig X von Landshut, commissioned within the court of Bavaria. It entered the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections and has been housed in the Alte Pinakothek since its acquisition, remaining part of that institution’s holdings to the present day. The painting is attributed to an anonymous follower of Christoph Amberger and is documented as depicting Louis X, Duke of Bavaria.
The Portrait of Duke Ludwig X von Landshut is held by the Bavarian State Painting Collections, where it resides in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. The work is cataloged within this institution's holdings as a painting created in 1540 by an anonymous artist after Christoph Amberger. It depicts Louis X, Duke of Bavaria, and is executed in oil paint on a panel measuring 71.5 cm in height and 47.6 cm in width.
The provided sources do not contain specific details regarding the painting's inventory or accession numbers, nor do they record any exhibition history for this specific work.
Context
The portrait of Duke Ludwig X von Landshut, painted in 1540, is attributed to an anonymous follower of Christoph Amberger and is housed in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. It forms part of the Bavarian State Painting Collections and depicts the duke in a style characteristic of early Northern Renaissance portraiture, reflecting the cultural patronage of Bavarian dukes in the mid-sixteenth century. Scholarship on the work emphasizes its role in documenting elite identity and dynastic legitimacy within the Holy Roman Empire, though debates persist regarding the precise attribution and the extent of Amberger's workshop involvement.
The painting is frequently cited in studies of courtly visual culture and the transmission of Renaissance portrait conventions in Southern Germany.
Overview
The work is an oil painting that presents a seated male figure, identified as Duke Ludwig X of Landshut (1495–1545). He is depicted in formal dress, with a dark cap and a black jacket over a white shirt marked by vertical stripes. The composition is set against a muted background, emphasizing the sitter’s presence.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait captures the duke in a solemn pose, his right hand resting on a surface before him. The serious expression and dignified attire convey his status and authority within the Bavarian duchy, reflecting the conventions of early‑sixteenth‑century noble portraiture.
Legacy
As one of the few surviving likenesses of Duke Ludwig X, the painting provides valuable visual evidence for scholars studying the courtly culture of late medieval Bavaria and the evolution of portrait techniques in early modern German art.
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