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This portrait shows the Nuremberg patrician Jakob Muffel (probably 1471-1526) at the age of 55. It must have been painted in the early months of 1526, as this man, who was very highly regarded, died on the 26th April of that year. He was a close friend of Dürer's, and appeared as a witness when Dürer was discharging a debt on his newly acquired house. Muffel held a high office in Nuremberg where he was a councillor from 1502, before becoming mayor of the city in 1514. The subject is wearing a fur-trimmed greatcoat and a cap with three gold-embroidered decorative bands. He is looking to the side with a thoughtful expression on his face, trying not to look at the viewer. For this reason he seems reserved and pensive. The man's austere, conservative faith seems to be reflected in his features.

Details

  • Title: Jakob Muffel
  • Creator: Albrecht Dürer
  • Date Created: 1526
  • Physical Dimensions: w36.0 x h48.0 cm
  • Type: Painting
  • External Link: Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Style: Nuremberg
  • Copyright Text: Text: © http://www.prestel.com, Prestel Verlag / Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin / Rainald Grosshans // Photo: © http://www.bpk-images.de, b p k - Photo Agency / Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin / Jörg P. Anders
  • Collection: Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
  • Artist information: Dürer is appreciated across Europe as one of the greatest painters and printmakers of Germany, but was also a highly regarded theorist. Even by his twenties he ranked among the most important artists of the Northern Renaissance. His ambitious woodcuts and engravings revolutionized the potential of the media, with such works as 'The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' (ca. 1498), 'Knight, Death, and the Devil' (1513), as well as 'Saint Jerome in his Study' (1514) and 'Melencolia I' (1514) becoming legendary, much analysed artworks in their own right. His use of watercolours led to him being recognized as one of the first landscape artists in Europe. In addition, he also stood out due to his introduction of classic motifs from Roman mythology into Northern art.
  • Artist Place of Death: Nuremberg, Germany
  • Artist Place of Birth: Nuremberg, Germany
  • Artist Gender: male
  • Artist Dates: 1471-05-21/1528-04-06

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