Hermann von Wedigh III (died 1560)

Hans Holbein the Younger German

Not on view

During his second sojourn in England (1532–43) Holbein made portraits for a new clientele, the German merchants of the Hanseatic League, whose guildhall was located in the London Steelyard. The sitter, whose ring displays the arms of the Wedighs of Cologne, is probably Hermann von Wedigh III, portrayed at age twenty-nine. The Latin quotation on the sheet of paper in the foreground, reading "Truth breeds hatred," comes from a Roman comedy popular among Humanists, Andria by Terence. The inserted slip of paper could thus refer to the book’s content and perhaps have served as the sitter’s personal motto.

#5142. Portrait of a Member of the Wedigh Family, Probably Hermann Wedigh (died 1560), Part 1

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  1. 5142. Portrait of a Member of the Wedigh Family, Probably Hermann Wedigh (died 1560), Part 1
  2. 2627. Investigations: Portrait of a Member of the Wedigh Family, Probably Hermann Wedigh (died 1560), Part 1
  3. 2628. Investigations: Portrait of a Member of the Wedigh Family, Probably Hermann Wedigh (died 1560), Part 2
Hermann von Wedigh III (died 1560), Hans Holbein the Younger (German, Augsburg 1497/98–1543 London), Oil and gold on oak

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