PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED PRIVATE COLLECTION (LOTS 112,114, 117, 156, 158, 164, 168, 173-176, 199)

Hans Brosamer (?Fulda c. 1500-c. 1554 ?Erfurt)

Portrait of Jochum Wirman, half-length, in black robes and a brown cloak, wearing a hat

Details

Hans Brosamer (?Fulda c. 1500-c. 1554 ?Erfurt)
Portrait of Jochum Wirman, half-length, in black robes and a brown cloak, wearing a hat
inscribed, dated and signed in monogram ‘IN DISER GESTALT•WARD JOCHVM WIRMAN• 24• IAR ALT• / • 1521• / •HB• (upper centre)
oil on panel
19¼ x 13 3/8 in. (49 x 34 cm.)

Provenance

Private collection, Germany.
Anonymous sale; Fischer, Lucerne, 16-22 June 1959, lot 2194, when sold with a certificate of Professor Alfred Stange.
Anonymous sale; Fischer, Lucerne, 5 November 1992, lot 2013 (CHF 12,000).
Anonymous sale; Sotheby’s, London, 5 July 1995, lot 162 (£20,700).
Anonymous sale; Sotheby’s, London, 9 July 1998, lot 242 (£17,250).

Literature

I. Kuhnel-Kunze, ‘Hans Brosamer und der Meister HB mit dem Greifenkopf’, Zeitschrift für Kunstwissenschaft, 1960, pp. 78-9, pl. 21.
The Jack and Belle Linsky collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1984, p. 108, under no. 39.

Brought to you by

Lucy Cox

lcox@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2243

Lot Essay

This portrait belongs to a group of fine paintings bearing the HB monogram, which on the basis of stylistic similarities to the fully signed Portrait of Johann von Otthera (1536; Private collection) have been widely accepted as Hans Brosamer’s work. Renowned for his portraits, Brosamer must have been a favourite amongst the Nuremberg clientele, since a number of works dating to the late 1520s all show sitters from that city. This portrait fits well within this group, making it quite likely that Jochum Wirman was a Nuremberg citizen as well.

More from Old Master and British Paintings Day Sale

View All