Bernhard Strigel (1460–1528)
»Portrait of an Elderly Man with Beard«

c. 1500 , Tempera and oil on linden wood

The decoration on the beret identifies the subject of this portrait as a member of the »Turniergesellschaft vom Fisch und vom Falken« (Tournament Society of the Fish and the Falcon) and thus as a nobleman. If the emblem added later to the planed reverse side of the panel is indeed a reproduction of an older one, it may identify the man as one of the Counts von Frundsberg.

Strigel’s characteristic portrait style is fully developed in this work. His concentration on the large-scale form and his capacity for individualised characterisation of human figures give this subject both a strong sense of dignity and an unmistakable personal quality. [ EW ]