Portrait of a Bearded Man

The half-length portrait of a middle aged man is shown in three-quarters profile against a dark green curtain. He is wearing a dark cloak with a grey shiny organic pattern and a brown fur collar. Underneath this he is dressed in a white pleated shirt with a stiff undulated collar embroidered with gold thread. Some of his chest hair is visible through an open split in the shirt. A black bib completes this outfit. His short hair peeps out from under a broad-rimmed black hat. The striking features of his angular face are the clipped beard and eyes gazing upwards as well as his open questioning mouth are striking. His beard, his hairstyle and his clothing correspond with the contemporary fashion. His fleshy hands are shown imposingly clasped, but are cropped at the bottom edge of the painting. The signet ring on the index finger of his left hand, the electoral coat-of-arms and the inverted initials 'HR' confirm the sitter's aristocratic origins.

[Sylvia Böhmer, in Exhib. Cat. Tokyo, Nagoya 1994, No. 77]