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Source Description
The cap is of a type worn by scholars and preachers, among others, and the small book that the sitter holds could be a devotional work or, if he is a scholar, his own publication. A fur-lined mantle was not a luxury: houses were poorly heated in winter, and everyone dressed warmly inside, especially if seated for long periods. The sitter's hand appears to be intentionally presented as deformed. At this period, deformities were generally viewed as a sign of divine disfavor. The inclusion of this hand may be the sitter's way of signaling his acceptance of divine will.Setting the figure off against a flat color background is a striking and typical feature of German painting at this period.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
23499
label
Portrait of a Scholar or Preacher
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
23499
sourceUrl
contentType
drawing
stage
normalized
title
Portrait of a Scholar or Preacher
description
The cap is of a type worn by scholars and preachers, among others, and the small book that the sitter holds could be a devotional work or, if he is a scholar, his own publication. A fur-lined mantle was not a luxury: houses were poorly heated in winter, and everyone dressed warmly inside, especially if seated for long periods. The sitter's hand appears to be intentionally presented as deformed. At this period, deformities were generally viewed as a sign of divine disfavor. The inclusion of this hand may be the sitter's way of signaling his acceptance of divine will.Setting the figure off against a flat color background is a striking and typical feature of German painting at this period.
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
1529 (Renaissance)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Painting & Drawing
paintings
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
59.2
height
38.5
dimensionsRaw
23 5/16 x 15 3/16 in. (59.2 x 38.5 cm)
Source extras
med
oil on panel
creator_ids
6211
collection_ids
REN
exhibition_ids
none
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
6692540426830a90