16th Century
In this elegant double portrait, a married couple is presented together, slightlystaggered within the pictorial space: the man is positioned somewhat in front as if to form a protective screen, and according to the conventions of heraldry, he is located on the left-hand side of the painting, placing him to the right of his wife within the scene depicted. The figures are shown in a 3/4 view, from the waist up, in accordance with the most prevalent formula for portraits at the beginning of the XVIth century.
In addition to affording the opportunity for a thorough physical description, this view also allows the representational conventions of the medieval age to be maintained, the frontal view being reserved for images of the divine, such as the Salvator Mundi, the Ecce Homo or depictions of the Holy Trinity.
Thus, the most strikingly original aspect of this work is the arrangement of the two figures within a single pictorial space.
As for the draughtsmanship, which is both incisive and elegant, the choice of colors, which stand out boldly against the abstract black ground, and the handling of decorative detail (from the hairs of the man’s beard to the fine embroidery on his wife's bonnet), all of these elements serve to lend a specific charm to this picture, solidly identifying the painter as one of the most accomplished portraitists of the German school in the first quarter of the XVIth century.
