Artwork
Portrait of Stephan Eiselin (d. 1549)
Portrait of Stephan Eiselin (d. 1549) is a wood painting by the Mannerist artist Christoph Amberger. It dates from 1539 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Created in 1539, this lime‑wood panel portrait presents Stephan Eiselin, a man who died a decade later.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1539, this lime‑wood panel portrait presents Stephan Eiselin, a man who died a decade later. Executed by Augsburg painter Christoph Amberger, a contemporary influenced by Hans Holbein, the work exemplifies the Northern Renaissance’s attention to individual likeness and status. It is part of the Kunsthistorisches Museum’s collection in Vienna.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter, identified as Stephan Eiselin, appears solemn and composed, his gaze directed outward. Dressed in a dark hat, a brown coat trimmed with fur, and a black shirt, he holds a white object—likely a symbol of his profession or personal attribute—underscoring the period’s practice of embedding subtle identifiers within portraiture.
Technique & Style
Amberger employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, juxtaposing illuminated facial features against a shadowed background to model form and convey volume. The fine rendering of hair, fabric texture, and the reflective quality of the white object reflects the meticulous realism characteristic of the mannerist phase of the Renaissance, while the wood support contributes a subtle warmth to the tonal palette.
History & Provenance
After its completion, the panel remained in private hands before entering the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it has been displayed as part of the museum’s Germanic painting holdings. Its attribution to Amberger rests on stylistic parallels with his other documented works and archival references linking the artist to Augsburg’s mid‑16th‑century portrait commissions.
Artist & collection
Artist
Christoph Amberger (c. 1505 – 1562) was a painter of Augsburg in the sixteenth century, a disciple of Hans Holbein, his principal work being the history of Joseph in twelve pictures.
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