Conrad Faber von Kreuznach, German, c.1500-c.1553
Title: Portrait of Katherina Knoblauch (1513-1542)
Date: 1532
Medium: Oil on limewood panel
Dimensions:
50.5 x 35.9 cm
Signed: on verso, lower centre: C V C M D XXXII [in monogram, first C inverted]
Credit Line: Purchased, 1866
Object Number: NGI.21
DescriptionKatherina Knoblauch was a member of the aristocratic House of Limpurg of Frankfurt. According to an inscription on the back of the panel, she was 19 years old when the painting was made in 1532. By this time she would have been married for three years. Faber also painted her husband, Friedrich Rohrbach, a work which is now part of the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
In both portraits the continuation of the panoramic landscape confirms that they were conceived as a pair.
The style of Faber’s landscapes suggests that he had first-hand knowledge of Flemish paintings, landscapes that filled the entire background being a frequent feature of Flemish portraits at this date. Katherina is represented almost three-quarter-length, dressed in a brightly coloured outfit that is sumptuously decorated with gold embroidery and jewellery, reflecting her aristocratic status. The reverse of the panel also carries a painted coat of arms of the Knoblauch family, which features three cloves of garlic (knoblauch in German).
In both portraits the continuation of the panoramic landscape confirms that they were conceived as a pair.
The style of Faber’s landscapes suggests that he had first-hand knowledge of Flemish paintings, landscapes that filled the entire background being a frequent feature of Flemish portraits at this date. Katherina is represented almost three-quarter-length, dressed in a brightly coloured outfit that is sumptuously decorated with gold embroidery and jewellery, reflecting her aristocratic status. The reverse of the panel also carries a painted coat of arms of the Knoblauch family, which features three cloves of garlic (knoblauch in German).
ProvenancePurchased, Christie's, London, 15-16 June 1866, Henry Farrer sale, lot 289
Exhibition HistoryOld Masters Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1885
Exhibition of Early German Art, Burlington Fine Arts Club, London, 1906
Centenary Exhibition, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, October - December 1964
Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Ireland, National Gallery, London, 1985
Master European Paintings from the National Gallery of Ireland, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 6 June - 9 August 1992; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, 19 September - 6 December 1992; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 13 January - 28 March 1993; IBM Gallery, New York, 27 April - 26 June 1993
Exhibition of Early German Art, Burlington Fine Arts Club, London, 1906
Centenary Exhibition, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, October - December 1964
Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Ireland, National Gallery, London, 1985
Master European Paintings from the National Gallery of Ireland, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 6 June - 9 August 1992; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, 19 September - 6 December 1992; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 13 January - 28 March 1993; IBM Gallery, New York, 27 April - 26 June 1993
Label TextKatherina Knoblauch was a member of the aristocratic House of Limpurg of Frankfurt. According to an inscription on the back of the panel, she was nineteen years old when the painting was made in 1532. Faber also painted a portrait of her husband Friedrich Rohrbach (Art Institute of Chicago). In both portraits, the continuation of the panoramic landscape con?rms that they were conceived as a pair. The reverse of the panel also carries a painted coat of arms of the Knoblauch family, which features three cloves of garlic (knoblauch in German).