German, South, 'Portrait of a Man', about 1530-40

This portrait was made to hang with one of a woman by the same artist (Oscar Reinhart Collection, Winterthur). They may have been joined together with hinges at the centre, forming a folding set known as a diptych, and were possibly made to commemorate the couple’s engagement or marriage. This seems likely as both have flowers associated with marriage: the carnation or pink held by the man was part of a northern European wedding ritual, in which the bride had to hide a pink within her clothing for the groom to find. The woman holds a posy of lily of the valley, which were associated with both marriage and the Virgin Mary.

Like his bride, the man is shown in half-length against a deep blue background; like her, he has bright fair hair and corkscrew curls. His large collar is folded over to reveal its fur lining. The gold detail on his white chemise and the bands of his large rings are matt gilding made from real gold. The expense of the gold and the sumptuousness of the painted fur suggest the man was wealthy and of high status. That said, the middle classes were allowed to wear more extravagant clothing for weddings and wedding portraits than was usually permitted by the laws that governed how the different classes could dress.

The man’s skin is painted with strong highlights, particularly around his brows, eyes and on the tip of his nose, imitating the effect of bright light on smooth, pale skin. This illusionism contrasts with the more schematic parts of the picture, such as the regularly sized tight curls and the use of real gold for the jewellery, which has such a different texture to the painted areas.