Hermann von Wedigh III (died 1560)
A young man rests his arm on a table. A book lies before him, a piece of paper tucked into its pages. From these simple ingredients, Holbein composed one of his most celebrated—and best preserved—portraits. The sitter came from a prominent family in Cologne, Germany, and served as a judge and alderman of the city’s assembly. The paper in his book quotes the Roman playwright Terence’s assertion that "flattery produces friends, truth hatred." Juxtaposing various kinds of text—the handwritten fragment, the gold-lettered inscription in the background, and the sitter’s name in an illusionistic inscription on the book—Holbein combines word and image to convey his subject’s identity.
Artwork Details
- Title: Hermann von Wedigh III (died 1560)
- Artist: Hans Holbein the Younger (German, Augsburg 1497/98–1543 London)
- Date: 1532
- Medium: Oil and gold on oak
- Dimensions: 16 5/8 x 12 3/4 in. (42.2 x 32.4 cm), with added strip of 1/2 in. (1.3 cm) at bottom
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Bequest of Edward S. Harkness, 1940
- Object Number: 50.135.4
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
Audio
5142. Portrait of a Member of the Wedigh Family, Probably Hermann Wedigh (died 1560), Part 1
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