About Me

My photo
Washington, United States
loves: you win if you guessed "pets" and "museums". Also books, art history, travel, British punk, Korean kimchi, bindis, martinis, and other things TBD. I will always make it very clear if a post is sponsored in any way. Drop me a line at thepetmuseum AT gmail.com !

Sunday, December 27, 2009

same frolic, different century

and usual thanks Wikimedia
This is the exact same sort of thing that has been going on in my house all morning (see any resemblances?).

However, this portrait dates from 1538, an oil on wood panel of Madam Cleophea Holzhalb by the 16th-century Swiss artist Hans Asper. Asper was sort of a "grandpupil" of Albrecht Durer, having studied with Durer's own student Hans Leu, and you may see that late-Gothic look in this portrait. There's no background setting to take your reference away from the sitter, who is posed in three-quarter view and portrayed in heavy outline. Remember Durer's hare portrait? Same sort of treatment.

Cleophea's last name means "wood half" if translated literally from the German. How fascinating. I wonder why.

1 comment:

Noll's Nip said...

Awesome painting. I wonder if there is an "after" portrait. You know, where the cat jumps down and the dog gives chase ;)