Artwork
Portrait of Ulrich Stampfer
Portrait of Ulrich Stampfer is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Hans Asper. It dates from 1540 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1540 by Hans Asper, the official painter of Zürich, this oil portrait presents Ulrich Stampfer seated at a table. The figure is rendered against a uniform blue backdrop, his gaze directed forward, and his hands poised over a small yellow instrument placed before him. The composition reflects the formal conventions of mid‑sixteenth‑century portraiture.
Subject & Meaning
Ulrich Stampfer is portrayed as a serious, perhaps scholarly individual, indicated by his attire—a black hat and coat—and the yellow tool he holds, suggesting a professional or intellectual occupation. His direct stare and composed posture convey a sense of authority and focus, typical of portraiture intended to emphasize personal status and identity.
Technique & Style
Asper employed the Mannerist idiom, characterized by elongated forms and a heightened attention to surface detail. The oil medium allows for subtle modeling of facial features and the rich texture of the black garments, while the flat blue background isolates the sitter, enhancing the three‑dimensionality of the figure through contrast.
History & Provenance
Since its creation, the painting has remained within Swiss collections, ultimately entering the holdings of the Kunsthaus Zürich. Its attribution to Asper, the city’s appointed painter, underscores its role as a civic document as well as an artwork, linking it to the municipal patronage of the period.
Context
The portrait emerges from a period when Zürich’s civic elite commissioned personal likenesses to affirm their social standing. Asper’s position as official painter placed him at the center of this visual culture, producing works that combined local portrait traditions with the broader Mannerist trends spreading across northern Europe.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Hans Asper (c. 1499 – 21 March 1571) was a Swiss painter from Zürich. He is known for his portraits and for the decorative work he carried out as the city’s official painter.
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