Portrait of a Man

‘Portrait of a Man’, the work by a Swabian painter Christoph Amberger, who worked mainly in Augsburg, is a companion to ’Portrait of a Woman’ (the State Hermitage). It is likely that the paintings depict spouses. The painter largely drew on the traditions of Venetian painting. It was no accident that he assisted to Titian when in 1548 the latter was invited to Augsburg to work at the court of Charles V. Hence his bold brushwork, an interest in colour shades and soft chiaroscuro. The Hermitage companion portraits are not among the most striking works by the artist; however, they are distinguished by the painter’s ability to gain an insight into the inner world of those he portrayed. Amberger’ s portraits were typical of mid-16th century German art. Amberger's customers included Emperor Charles V, Ludwig of Bavaria and the Fugger banking family