Portrait of a Nobleman with Dueling Gauntlet

Gallery 349, Arms and Armor, third floor (Kretzschmar von Kienbusch Galleries)

Main Building

Portrait of a Nobleman with Dueling Gauntlet

1562

Artist/maker unknown , active Emilia?, Italian

In sixteenth-century Europe it became fashionable among noblemen to be portrayed standing in armor and posing with martial objects such as maces, commander's batons, or helmets—a reference to their supposed or demonstrated aptitude as warriors and military leaders. The unidentified man in this portrait wears civilian clothes along with a mail shirt; one hand rests on a gauntlet specifically designed for grabbing the blades of swords in duels. The costly hilts of his rapier (sword) and matching dagger, which the artist has depicted here with great care, compete with his face for the viewer's attention.

Gallery 349, Arms and Armor, third floor (Kretzschmar von Kienbusch Galleries)

Object Details

Title:

Portrait of a Nobleman with Dueling Gauntlet

Date:

1562

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown , active Emilia?, Italian

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

6 feet 5 inches × 42 3/4 inches (195.6 × 108.6 cm) Framed: 6 feet 11 3/4 inches × 48 3/4 inches × 3 inches (212.7 × 123.8 × 7.6 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

John G. Johnson Collection, 1917

Accession Number:

Cat. 238

Geography:

Made in Italy, Europe Possibly made in Emilia, Italy, Europe

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Gallery 349, Arms and Armor, third floor (Kretzschmar von Kienbusch Galleries)

Main Building

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