Portrait of Heinrich V (1479-1552), Duke of Mecklenburg

898 voorzijde

Portrait of Heinrich V (1479-1552), Duke of Mecklenburg

Jacopo de' Barbari
1507

898 - zaal 7

This portrait of the German nobleman Henry of Mecklenburg was painted by the Venetian artist Jacopo de’ Barbari. Henry’s cloak has a pattern of battleaxes and tree trunks. There is also an axe hanging on his chain. Yet Henry’s nickname was ‘the Peaceful’. His hat is decorated with ostrich feathers, strings of pearls and cords with golden rings. Although it looks rather eccentric, Henry’s outfit was the height of fashion among the German nobility of the day.

oil on panel
59.3 x 37.5 cm.
NK Collection; on loan since 1951 and transferred into the museum's keeping by the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands in 1960