Head of a Man against a Landscape

This delicately painted head of a young man, set against a river bordered with a rock face and trees, was cut out of a larger scene, most likely an altarpiece. The painting was cut so tightly that it is impossible to identify the figure. Sir Robert Witt bequest, 1952

Like other artists in this room, the unknown painter can only be identified by his distinctive style. He has carefully delineated the young man’s blond curls, as well as the long reeds and their reflection in the water. This refinement is more characteristic of art in the Netherlands, where he may have trained, than in the German city of Cologne where he spent his career.