Portrait of Elisabeth Bellinghausen (c.1520- after 1570)

This small painting is half of a diptych made by Bartholomäus Bruyn for the Cologne couple Elisabeth Bellinghausen and Jacobus Omphalius. They probably commissioned the diptych on the occasion of their engagement. Elisabeth is holding a sprig of bittersweet, which was the attribute of unmarried couples in Cologne portraits. Elisabeth’s braids also refer to the engagement period, as married women wore their braids under their cap.

The whereabouts of the portrait of Jacobus are unknown.