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Bartholomeus Bruyn the Elder, 'A Man, probably of the Strauss Family', probably about 1534

Key facts
Full title A Man, probably of the Strauss Family
Artist Bartholomeus Bruyn the Elder
Artist dates 1492/5 - 1555
Date made probably about 1534
Medium and support oil on wood
Dimensions 36.2 × 24.8 cm
Acquisition credit Salting Bequest, 1910
Inventory number NG2605
Location Not on display
Collection Main Collection
Previous owners
George Salting
A Man, probably of the Strauss Family
Bartholomeus Bruyn the Elder

The man in this portrait has not yet been identified. The upper ring on his left forefinger may provide a clue: it seems to show the arms of the Strauss family (the other ring seems to have shown another coat of arms which can no longer be deciphered). It has been suggested that the man depicted is a member of this family called Andreas zum Kampe, but at the date this portrait was made he would have been a little older than our sitter appears. It may depict another member of the family – several are recorded in the city at this time.

In his right hand he holds a piece of paper with a verse from the Bible inscribed upon it in German, meaning ‘The word of our God shall stand for ever’, followed by its citation: Isaiah chapter 40.

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More paintings by Bartholomeus Bruyn the Elder

The Virgin, Saints and a Holy Woman
The Virgin, Saints and a Holy Woman
Bartholomeus Bruyn the Elder
This panel was most probably the right-hand wing of a diptych (a painting made up of two panels), and was probably made in Cologne in the 1530s. The location of the left-hand panel is unknown, but it most probably showed the dead Christ.The figures huddle together and look in the direction of the...
Not on display