Bust of a Young Man
ca. 1530/40 | Conrat Meit
The almost physical presence and lifelikeness of this bust are highly unusual for a work from that period. This effect is further enhanced by the direction of the young man’s gaze and the bust’s nicely differentiated polychromy. It is an early example of a portrait bust executed in the round, a type that became popular in Northern Europe around 1500. Unfortunately, we know neither the sitter’s name nor the context for which this bust was intended.
The almost physical presence and lifelikeness of this bust are highly unusual for a work from that period. This effect is further enhanced by the direction of the young man’s gaze and the bust’s nicely differentiated polychromy. It is an early example of a portrait bust executed in the round, a type that became popular in Northern Europe around 1500. Unfortunately, we know neither the sitter’s name nor the context for which this bust was intended.
previously attributed to:
Conrat Meit (um 1475/80 Worms - 1550/51 Antwerpen) DNB
Time:
ca. 1530/40
Object Name
statue; clay sculpture
Culture
Netherlandish
Material/technology:
Painted terracotta
Dimensions:
H. 48 cm, B. 60 cm, T. 25 cm
Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Kunstkammer
Invs.
Kunstkammer, 8919