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Georg Pencz , German, c.1500-1550

Title

Portrait of a Gentleman

Date1549

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions

84.1 x 65.5 cm

Signedupper right: GP 1549 [GP in monogram]

Credit LinePurchased, 1864

Object numberNGI.1373

DescriptionAlthough the identity of the sitter is unknown, the inscription in the upper right corner of the painting informs us that the man was 28 years old when this portrait was painted. It is also fairly certain that he was a citizen of Nuremberg, as the artist was living and working there at the time he painted the portrait. Pencz, an outspoken critic of the authorities, had been expelled from Nuremberg in 1525 but was able to return ten months later. In 1532 he was named the city’s official painter. The artist appears to have travelled twice to Italy.
The small bronze statuette that the sitter holds in his left hand derives in type from those by the Paduan sculptor and goldsmith Andrea Riccio. It represents the satyr Pan seducing the goddess Diana. Although it has been suggested that this is a portrait of a sculptor, the inclusion of the bronze with its erudite subject matter, the young man’s elegant costume and the interior setting all point to him being a nobleman, portrayed in the contemporary Italian Mannerist style.
ProvenancePurchased, Paris, 1864 Exhibition HistoryCentenary Exhibition, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, October - December 1964

Masterpieces of the National Gallery of Ireland, National Gallery, London, 1985

Gothic and Renaissance Art in Nuremberg 1300-1550, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1986

Label TextAlthough the identity of this man is unknown, the inscription in the upper right corner informs us that he was aged 28 when this portrait was painted. It is also fairly certain that he was a citizen of Nuremberg, as Pencz was living and working there when the portrait was painted in 1549. The small bronze statuette that the sitter holds in his left hand derives in type from those by the Paduan sculptor and goldsmith Andrea Riccio. It represents the satyr Pan seducing the goddess Diana. Trained by Albrecht Dürer, Pencz was active as a painter, draughtsman and engraver.