Who painted Selbstbildnis?

Selbstbildnis was painted by Gian Paolo Lomazzo in 1560.

Where can I see Selbstbildnis?

Selbstbildnis is held by Kunsthistorisches Museum.

What movement is Selbstbildnis?

Selbstbildnis is associated with Mannerism.

Artwork

Selbstbildnis

Gian Paolo Lomazzo , 1560

Selbstbildnis is an unspecified painting by the Mannerist artist Gian Paolo Lomazzo. It dates from 1560 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

About this work

Overview

Gian Paolo Lomazzo’s self‑portrait, executed in 1560, presents the artist at half‑length, his head turned slightly away from the viewer.

Gian Paolo Lomazzo’s self‑portrait, executed in 1560, presents the artist at half‑length, his head turned slightly away from the viewer. The figure is set against an almost black backdrop, which isolates the face and shoulders. Light falls on his curls and the pale edge of his collar, while the rest of his attire recedes into shadow, creating a compact, introspective image now housed in Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum.

Subject & Meaning

The work functions as a personal declaration, showing Lomazzo not only as a painter but also as a thinker. By foregrounding his own visage, he underscores the emerging Renaissance notion of the artist as an individual creator, a concept he would later elaborate in his theoretical writings.

Technique & Style

Lomazzo employs a subtle chiaroscuro, blending the contours of the face into the surrounding darkness with delicate gradations. The soft modeling of flesh and the restrained palette reflect the Mannerist preference for elegant elongation and refined surface treatment, while the overall composition retains a restrained naturalism typical of mid‑sixteenth‑century portraiture.

History & Provenance

After its creation, the portrait entered the collection of the Habsburgs and eventually became part of the Kunsthistorisches Museum’s holdings. Lomazzo’s career shifted dramatically when he lost his sight in 1571; thereafter he devoted himself to writing, producing treatises that would influence the second generation of Mannerist artists.

Context

The painting emerges at a moment when Italian art was transitioning from High Renaissance balance to the more stylized, expressive language of Mannerism. Lomazzo’s dual role as practitioner and theorist placed him at the centre of debates about proportion, expression, and the intellectual responsibilities of the artist, debates that his self‑portrait subtly visualises.