ticketsMember | Make a donation

Chancellor Leonhard von Eck (1480–1550)

1527
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 612

Beham and his older brother Sebald were renowned as printmakers as well as painters. They were active in Nuremberg until 1525, when they were banished for opposing the Protestant Reformation. Barthel subsequently moved to Catholic Munich to serve as court painter to the Bavarian dukes William IV and Ludwig X. The sitter of this arresting portrait, Leonhard von Eck, was chancellor to William IV and a powerful opponent of the Reformation. An engraving after this portrait is inscribed with Leonhard von Eck’s name, his age (forty-seven), and the artist’s initials, with the date 1527.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Chancellor Leonhard von Eck (1480–1550)
  • Artist: Barthel Beham (German, Nuremberg ca. 1502–1540 Italy)
  • Date: 1527
  • Medium: Oil on spruce
  • Dimensions: 22 1/8 x 14 7/8 in. (56.2 x 37.8 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: John Stewart Kennedy Fund, 1912
  • Object Number: 12.194
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Child with Three Skulls (reverse copy), Barthel Beham German, Engraving
Child with Three Skulls (reverse copy)
Barthel Beham
early 16th century
Genius on a Globe Floating in the Air, Barthel Beham German, Engraving
Genius on a Globe Floating in the Air
Barthel Beham
mid-17th century
Apollo and Daphne (reverse copy), Barthel Beham German, Engraving
Apollo and Daphne (reverse copy)
Barthel Beham
n.d.
Sleeping Child with Four Skulls (copy)
Barthel Beham
early 16th century
The Virgin and Child with the Skull (copy), Barthel Beham German, Engraving printed on blue paper
The Virgin and Child with the Skull (copy)
Barthel Beham
Nikolaus Wilborn
16th century

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.