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Portrait of a Lady

Portrait of a Lady

Artist/Maker (German, 1493–1555)
Dateca. 1539
MediumOil on oak panel
DimensionsOverall: 13 1/4 × 11 1/4 in. (33.7 × 28.5 cm)
Frame: 22 5/8 × 21 1/16 × 2 1/4 in. (57.5 × 53.5 × 5.7 cm)
Credit LineR. T. Miller Jr. Fund
Object number1940.42
Status
On view
More Information
Bruyn was the leading portrait painter in Cologne in the early sixteenth century, having studied with Jan Joest von Calcar and Joos van Cleve. Lacking royal patronage, Bruyn mostly depicted members of the patrician or upper bourgeois classes of his native city. Perhaps for this reason, his portraits are more individualized and less idealized, though still conforming to the standard compositional format of the day. Here, the sitter's social standing is indicated by her elegant costume and jewelry. The jeweled pendant bears the motto "als in eren" or "all in honour", and in her hands (adorned with gold rings and bracelets) she holds an apple referring perhaps to the Fall of Man and the human propensity for sin.
ProvenanceHugo Garthe [1821-1876], Cologne, Germany, until 1877; (for sale 1877 J.M. Heberle [H. Lempertz] auction "The Art Collections of Mr. Hugo Garthe," Cologne, Germany, September 17, lot no.53: M. 360). Constantin Raderschatt, Cologne, Germany.¹ Franz Hax, Cologne, Germany, by 1904. M. Manoli, Berlin, Germany. (Paul Cassirer, Inc., Berlin, Germany). (Wildenstein and Company, New York). Ernst Rosenfeld [d. 1937], New York, by 1928. (M. Knoedler and Company, Inc., New York, by 1938); purchased 1938 by Clendenin J. Ryan [d. 1939], until 1940; (for sale 1940 Parke-Bernet Galleries auction "The Entire Art Collection of the Late Clendenin J. Ryan," New York, January 19-20, 1940, lot no.216, ill.); (purchased 1940 by M. Knoedler and Company, New York); purchased 1940 by Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH Notes: ¹Not included in his sale of July 9, 1885.Exhibition History
Kunsthistorische Ausstellung
  • Dusseldorf, Germany ( 1904 - 1904 )
Barthel Bruyn, 1493-1555
  • Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne ( 1955-06 - 1955-08 )
Loan Exhibition of German Primitives for the Benefit of the American Red Cross
  • F. Kleinberger and Co., Inc., New York (November 3, 1928 - November 30, 1928 )
40 Masterpieces: A Loan Exhibition of Paintings from American Museums
  • City Art Museum of St. Louis, MO (October 6, 1947 - November 10, 1947 )
Holbein and His Contemporaries
  • John Herron Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN (October 22, 1950 - December 24, 1950 )
Paintings and Drawings from Five Centuries: Collection Allen Memorial Art Museum
  • M. Knoedler & Co., Inc., New York (February 3, 1954 - February 21, 1954 )
Paintings, Drawings, Prints and Sculptures from American College and University Collections
  • Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (September 20, 1958 - October 20, 1958 )
Seven Hundred Years of Western Art
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (August 26, 2001 - June 2, 2002 )
Religion, Ritual and Performance in the Renaissance
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (August 28, 2012 - June 30, 2013 )
Collections
  • European
  • On View
The AMAM continually researches its collection and updates its records with new findings.
We welcome additional information and suggestions for improvement. Please email us at AMAMcurator@oberlin.edu.