Portrait of Bartholomäus Viatis

Oil on canvas. Bartholomäus (Bartolomeo) Viatis was born in Venice in 1538, the son of a shopkeeper, and was sent to Nuremberg for training at the age of 12. It was the first step in an unparalleled career, for by the time of his death in 1624 he was the richest merchant north of the Alps. Viatis's daughter married Nuremberg merchant Martin Peller. Peller, in his turn, was the builder of the "Pellerhaus" around 1600, with its impressive baroque public rooms displaying carefully selected works of art. A historical photo from a far later era shows beyond a doubt that this extremely fine portrait of Bartholomäus Viatis once graced the "Beautiful Room" of the Pellerhaus, which was almost certainly the portrait’s original setting. The Pellerhaus was almost completely destroyed toward the end of the Second World War, but not before the wood paneling from the "Beautiful Room" had been taken to safety. In 1957 it was incorporated into the permanent exhibition at the Fembohaus Municipal Museum, where Kreutzfelder's painting can still be seen today.