Artwork
Emperor Charles V
Emperor Charles V is an unspecified painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Barthel Beham. It dates from 1531 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1531, this oil portrait presents the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V as rendered by the German artist Barthel Beham. The work is part of the collection of Munich’s Alte Pinakothek, where it is displayed among other 16th‑century court paintings.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is shown with a dark beard and moustache, his head inclined slightly to one side. He wears a black hat and a dark robe over a vivid red shirt, a gold chain bearing a small pendant rests against his chest. The solemn expression and regal attire underscore his imperial authority and piety.
Technique & Style
Beham employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, using a deep, almost black background to isolate the figure and intensify the modeling of facial features. The contrast between the illuminated flesh tones and the surrounding darkness creates a three‑dimensional effect, while the fine brushwork on the chain and pendant demonstrates meticulous attention to detail.
History & Provenance
The portrait entered the Alte Pinakothek’s holdings in the 19th century as part of the museum’s effort to assemble representative works of German Renaissance portraiture. Its attribution to Barthel Beham, a member of the Nuremberg “Little Masters,” has been consistently accepted by scholars since its first cataloguing.
Artist & collection
Portrait of Marie of Baden
Portrait of Sabina of Bavaria
Kunigunde of Austria, wife of Duke Albrecht IV of Bavaria
Historienzyklus: Kreuzauffindung der hl. Helena
Portrait of a Man
Susanna von Brandenburg, Gemahlin Ottheinrichs (Seitenverkehrte Kopie nach Inv.-Nr. 2450) (Kopie nach)
Portrait of Herzog Johann III, Paltzgraf bei Rhein (1488-1538)
Maria mit dem Kind (zugeschrieben)
